Ben gest biography

Ben Gest's Biography: Ben Gest was born in Caldwell, NJ, earned a BA from Rutgers University and an MFA in photography from Colombia College, Chicago.
Ben Gest (1975-), born in Caldwell, NJ, earned a Bachelor of Art degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Fine Art degree from Columbia College, Chicago.
Ben Gest was born in 1975 in Caldwell, NJ. He received his BA in Visual Art from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and his MFA in Photography.

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Ben Gest

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Ben Gest was born in 1975 in Caldwell, NJ. He received his BA in Visual Art from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. His work has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions nationwide, most recently at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago. His work is part of Light Work’s Permanent Collection, as well as The Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; and the LaSalle Bank Photography Collection. Gest currently lives in New York and is the Associate Chair of Part Time Programs at ICP.

International Center of Photography
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Ben Gest

Ben Gest (1975- ), born in Caldwell, NJ, earned a Bachelor of Art degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Fine Art degree from Columbia College, Chicago. Gest’s images engage in photography’s history of telling the story of human life while challenging its traditions and expanding its visual language. Through subtle digital manipulation his ongoing work explores domestic narratives. Photographed separately and then brought together and carefully arranged into often unsettling tableaus, Gest’s subjects are frozen in emotionally and physically disconnected scenes. More recent works involve contemplative portraits of single subjects; individuals lost in thought while performing mundane tasks. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Renaissance Society, Chicago; and Light Work, Syracuse, N.Y. It has been collected by institutions such as The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and the LaSalle Bank Photography

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Chicago, IL

Ben Gest portrays everyday domestic scenes using friends and family. Viewers are plunged into his scenes, which appear to be slowly unfolding right before one’s eyes. At first glance, one apprehends the whole, and then gradually individual gestures and meaningful minutiae emerge. Each of the figures seems lost in their own world, concentrating mostly on his or her own actions or thoughts. Gest’s working method relates to and expands upon his artistic aim; that is, to call into question and remove a single point of view. To create his arrangements, he captures between 10-30 frames of film that he then scans and composites in the computer.

Ben Gest was born in Caldwell, NJ, and earned a BA from Rutgers University. Gest received his MFA in 2002 from Columbia College (Chicago, IL), where he is currently an Adjunct Professor. Recent solo shows include Ben Gest’s Pictures at Daiter Contemporary (Chicago, IL) and 12x12 New Artists – New Work at The Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, IL). He is included in many collections in Chicago, includi