Ben Rak

I was born in Berkeley, USA and grew up in Israel. Initially I studied cooking and worked as a chef, in a way, using food for my artistic expression. A self taught photographer, I spent many years exploring the relationships between the different cultures and the connections between man and the landscape. Later, I added digital manipulation to my photography expertise and extended my professional artistic career. With such diverse experiences, in 2001, I moved to Sydney, Australia. In 2006 I joined the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales to pursue a BFA in Printmaking. There, I devised unique conceptual methods of combining photography and printmaking through photosensitive techniques. My photographs and prints have been exhibited in various group shows in Australia. I have won the Blacktown Art Prize, the Newtown NCA Art Prize and the COFA Art Scene prize. I was a finalist in the Burnie Print Prize, Gold Coast Art Prize, SMH "Shoot the Chef" and several other national awards.

Since 2006, I have been working closely with Michael Kempson, director of Cicada Press. There, I provide technical and printing support for visiting artists from Australia and around the world. I have assisted many well-known artists such as Elisabeth Cummings, Euan Mcleod, and Reg Mombassa. Similarly, I am actively involved in a community building project, known as Papunya Tjupi printmaking program at COFA. As a volunteer for the Papunya workshop, I help indigenous artists to develop their printmaking skills and I provide support to their artistic visions. Currently, I am a part of an organizing group at COFA who visited Papunya in June 2008 to conduct workshops and assist Aboriginal artists in their art making.

My work explores the relationships between clothing, brands, and identity since the co-option of sub-cultures began. If clothing is understood as a form of identity in which styles and brands associate us with different groups, then it begs the question "what is the effect of being able to change our identity by buying it off the rack?"