Ben Buswell: The Story is Not the Story

About

Oregon artist Ben Buswell believes that language and symbolism are imperfect vehicles for communication because they rely on complex histories of knowledge, experience, custom and so forth to be interpreted. It is a common experience, for example, to explain or illustrate an idea in a manner that we think is clear, only to find that our listeners draw different conclusions than our intended meaning. The physical experience of something, then, may be the closest we can get to truly sharing an understanding. Through emphasizing how his artworks exist in space and time, Buswell aims to find a place of empathy between himself, his sculptures, and the viewer.