Collection: Ella Benson

@e11a.benson
ellabensonart.cargo.site

Ella Benson is an Australian artist interested in the uncanny and unknown. She aims to tap into the viewers memory and subconscious that has been buried away. She represents the drastic nature of mental health and the capabilities of the human psyche, often using scenes of familiarity and nostalgia. She believes that what cannot be seen is equally or more important than what is visibly seen. This brings forward the idea that the physical world does not represent reality as it is. This other reality is explored through her use of materiality and the black sheet that is a common theme in her paintings and illustrations. The sheet is an alive and expressive element and through the use of pareidolia, she is able to further bring an element of presence. As this phenomenon commonly occurs in high stress level situations, it causes one to see patterns and forms that do not exist. She aims to recreate this feeling of anxiety, uncertainty and daunt that is felt in common settings by people struggling with their mental health. Although the black sheet is revealing faces and forms that can often be unsettling, it is representative of cover. The feeling of being safe and shielded.