Based in the Hawke’s Bay, Ben Pearce holds a BFA (2003) in Sculpture from Whanganui’s Quay School of Fine Arts. He has exhibited in many of the country’s public galleries including City Gallery Wellington, Sarjeant Gallery, Suter Gallery and Whakatane Gallery. He won the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award (2014) and the Waikato Youth Award (2009), and Number 8 Wire Award, Waikato (2016).

Ben is well regarded as one of New Zealand’s foremost sculptors of corten steel, creating wistful figures out of geometric forms that echo the body’s angles and movement. His twisted steel figure titled Ancestor plays with memory through movement and shape, conjuring memories of childhood freedom.

Within Ben’s sculptures is the presence of memory, especially that of childhood. In this way, his figures are highly relatable, inspiring our own memories of times past where play and movement were so innate. Yet, there is a sense of distortion within the works, an abstraction that echoes the way memory can play with our sense of time.

In many ways, the natural weathering of the corten steel adds to a sense that these figures could be shadows of the land, echoing the way the land holds memories as it moves and distorts over time. The geometric building blocks could also be seen as abstracted rock formations or similar geological structures. There is much to delve into with Ben’s thoughtful, highly collectible works.