Ben Heine has a degree in Journalism. He also briefly studied History of Art, Painting and Sculpture.
Following his formal studies, Ben tried all kinds of different jobs but visual creation has always been his main concern. His pictorial works have been published in famous Belgian and international newspapers and magazines, and they have been seen by millions of people online. Heine’s artworks have been exhibited in Belgium, Great Britain, France, Canada, USA, Germany, Turkey, Romania, Brazil, South Korea and Spain; he is currently represented by several well-established art galleries in Belgium and abroad. He has also participated in numerous art events such as the London Art Fair, the Affordable Art Fair, the Berliner List, the Accessible Art Fair, Art Event, Music for Life.
In this post, I’d like to introduce you to his “Pencil Vs Camera” project, which I found quite fascinating. Heine mixes drawing and photography, imagination and reality. Reminiscent of the classical Trompe l’oeil, it’s a visual concept he initiated in 2010. It’s full of magic, illusion, poetry and surrealism.
Ben published his first “Pencil Vs Camera” image in April 2010 but the series is the result of a long graphic exploration and a logic consequence of his personal artistic development. In this series, he likes to focus on people’s life, portraits, nature, animals, architecture… Among others, the main themes approached are Love, Freedom, After Life, Friendship and Nature. In Ben’s words: “…I want to convey a poetic and philosophical meaning into my pictures, each new creation should tell a story and generate an intense emotion, like a poem, like a melody.”
Below, a few of my faves:
