101 Things To Do With A Portrait Bust
Ben Pruskin

June 4th – July 2nd, 2011
Opening: Saturday June 4th, 7 – 10pm

Monte Vista Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Ben Pruskin. The artist wrote, “Art is a way of getting rid of trash,” and Ben has found an elegant way in doing this. The exhibition is a cacophony of eclectic materials: tin wash basin, huge chunks of Styrofoam blocks, dominos, clamp lights with color gels, wind chimes, a dresser cabinet, make shift pedestals, photographs of books, and more. The main attraction of the installation is the glistening candy colored portrait busts of friends he’s sculpted over the years. This show demonstrates the artist’s keen exploration between figurative relationships (human and spatial), consumption and waste, with a little bit of dark humor.

The exhibition is a cultivation of the artist’s process over the years. He makes portraits by intimately sculpting the subject for hours, makes a mold of the bust, then casts it in resin creating various degrees of transparency. The busts are both personally detailed, yet ambiguously unknown. As a group, the busts start to form interesting narratives. Some busts, which were considered unsuccessful, were buried in Styrofoam blocks. Others are stacked playfully in a wash bin soaking up a bubble bath. Some are placed on pedestals along with photographs of books hanging on the wall. The photographs are another form of portraiture by defining the owner’s taste as a character image. This exhibition shows presents artwork using materials and space to create a vibrant experience of people.

Ben Pruskin received his MFA in 2000 from Goldsmith College, London, UK. His solo exhibitions include New Works at Pawnshop Gallery, Los Angeles and VTO Gallery, London. He has participated in group shows at La Cienegas Projects, Denizen Gallery, Sweeney Gallery UC Riverside, and Nardiff Art Space.