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#30 – Ben Frost

Matt speaks with Ben Frost, renowned for his audacious and thought-provoking work often using pharmaceutical packaging. Frost opens up about his creative process, sharing insights on using imagery like children's books, mixing things up with different media, and his organic approach to art that bypasses digital mock-ups. The conversation also delves into sustaining a career over 20 years, the struggle between innovation and expectation, and the often-unspoken fear of stepping out of the comfort zone. If you've ever wondered what's behind those captivating paintings on packages or how an artist keeps the passion alive, don't miss this engaging chat! Listen to the full episode now.

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Ben Frost

 
Australian contemporary artist Ben Frost, based in Melbourne, is renowned for his audacious and often controversial approach to Pop Art. Armed with a Bachelor of Visual Art in Fine Art from the Queensland College of Art, Frost has firmly established himself in the global art scene by challenging Western consumer culture through his work. His distinctive style, combining vibrant colors with a collage of pop-culture references set against the backdrops of consumer products, offers an ironic and openly disrespectful critique of modern icons. Frost's work subverts meanings and messages from mainstream media, twisting everyday iconography from some of the world's largest brands into sharp commentary on advertising, entertainment, and politics. His paintings are complex mash-ups of popular culture, savagely critiquing our media and advertising-obsessed society. This irreverent approach has led to confrontations and controversies, including an infamous 2000 art prank titled 'Ben Frost is Dead', in which he faked his own death, leading to an uproar in the art world and national media. His audacity continues to spark intense reactions, with his confronting imagery often resulting in threats of exhibition closures and even physical retaliation, as seen when a disgruntled viewer slashed one of his paintings. One of his most debated works is the graphic depiction of children involved in drug use in his painting 'White Children Playing; Late 1900s'. Despite these controversies, Frost has experienced extensive success, exhibiting internationally for over two decades across London, New York, Sydney, Los Angeles, Toronto, Singapore, Berlin, Miami, Torino, Bangkok, and San Francisco. His work has been featured extensively in media outlets such as the BBC, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar. Highlights of his career include shows at the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, the MCA in Sydney, the Urban Nation Contemporary Urban Art Museum, Berlin, and the Saatchi Gallery, London. In addition to his painting career, Frost has also ventured into the world of fashion. His notable collaborations include working with Jeremy Scott on a Moschino Fall/Winter Capsule Collection 2018 launched at Milan Fashion Week and partnering with Carolina Herrera on a limited edition release of her ‘212 Pop!’ fragrance. Other noteworthy projects include work with Pearl Jam, Rossignol, Mambo, Livid Music Festival, and J&B Whiskey. Frost continues to contribute as an illustrator for various magazines and newspapers and shares a studio in Melbourne with his fashion designer partner, Nixi Killick. Despite, or perhaps because of, the confrontations and controversies that have marked his career, Frost's work continues to command attention and provoke thought, ensuring his place as a pivotal figure in contemporary Pop Art.
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Matt Gondek

 

Matt Gondek is a Deconstructive Pop Artist, whose work is possessed with a punk rock spirit, celebrating rebellion and destruction. With a visceral pop color palette and a disarmingly playful tone, he tears down cartoon idols, akin to slaughtering our modern day gods. Born in 1982, his creative voice is rooted in the 90s; as a true conduit of his generation and their potentially pointless search for meaning and purpose amidst a cruel life in a flawed world. He boasts sold out exhibitions in his home of Los Angeles as well as New York, Paris, Bangkok, and Hong Kong.

SOLO EXHIBITS

  • Missing Person - November 2022 - Tokyo
  • Discipline - February 2022 - Mexico City
  • RATS - August 2021 - Los Angeles
  • Original Character - April 2021 - New York
  • Mood Swings - October 2020 - Paris
  • CONTROL - November 2019 - Los Angeles
  • Clean Break - April 2019 - Bangkok
  • Growing Pains - November 2018 - Hong Kong
  • Clean Break - May 2018 - New York
  • American Gods - November 2017 - Hong Kong
  • Glow in the Dark - September 2017 - Los Angeles
  • Unholy Hand - November 2015 - Detroit
  • Struggles - April 2015 - Pittsburgh
  • Kill 'Em All - September 2014 - Pittsburgh
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