JACKEL, BEN

Statement
My recent work has been dealing primarily with two main topics.  The issue of violence, war, power, history and control and then the ideas of disaster, emergency and the vulnerability of us all to natural forces.  I create finely crafted sculptures using the materials of clay wood and metal to express these ideas.  Enlarged medieval helmets, high tech drones, and sinking battleships contrast with the life saving properties of fire hoses, standpipes and other emergency fire equipment.

 Biography
Ben Jackel was born in Aurora, Colorado in 1977. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and studied fine art with a focus in ceramics and photography, receiving his BFA in 2000.  In 2002 Jackel moved to Los Angeles to attend graduate school at The University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA he worked with Adriane Saxe and Charles Ray, receiving his MFA in 2005.  In 2007 he participated in the show “Rogue Wave 07”at the gallery LA Louver.  LA Louver formally represented the artist following the show. His first solo show at LA Louver “Compliance Solutions” 2009 was followed up by his second solo show “Zero Percent Contained” 2012” Both of these shows deal with themes of war, disaster, power and death. Jackel continues to live and work in Los Angeles. He first showed with the Artnauts in the year 2000 with a trip to Lima, Peru.

Ben  Jackel has been in the Artnaut since 2014