Having a fine arts background in painting and being a born restless mind, Gonzalo Bénard turned into photography defying any notion of ego with his self-portraits. Operating as non-portraits, his self-representations using his not-to-be-seen body and face, brings us some thought provoking images to challenge the viewer to go beyond and stop watching because what you see is not what you should see. Using mainly b/w in his work and often plain backgrounds, G.Bénard wants this way to avoid distractions of colours, tones and non-essential items to bring the pure concept. Bringing cultural rites and rituals G. Bénard becomes primitive playing a not so obvious game that can be playful with humorous sensuality breaking the usual canons or stereotyped conventions.

 

Surreal, occasionally bizarre, provocative, conceptual, often ironic, G. Bènard mixes cultures, rites and rituals, life and death. Encompassing everything human his work speaks of faith, sex, spirit and what it is to be alive and trying to make sense of a world that cannot make sense of itself.

 

G. Bènard’s work is to be found in both public and private collections from Europe to Australia, and his growing reputation has led to several high profile commissions.