BEN GASKELL
Works
Biography
Granite and porphyry nested 'Breakboxes', 2016
Ben Gaskell expresses his unconditional love for nature through hard stone carving, a laborious practice that requires immense patience and rewards perseverance.
After studying zoology at Oxford and travelling the world observing bats, Gaskell discovered crystal boulders in Madagascar and started trading rock crystal for ten years, until he learnt to carve all kinds of hard stone.
Self-taught and passionate, Gaskell chooses stones for their natural markings and features, which are extremely difficult to preserve whilst polishing, and achieves the highest level of craftsmanship in his work.
He intentionally displays “imperfections” or breakage in all his creations, symbolising Nature's uncontrollable forces and opposing Man’s hubris and quest for dominance. He draws on hard stone carving as a pure and everlasting medium, reminiscent of ancient times when the sun and the earth were revered. Gaskell converses with stones and this dialogue comes alive through the process of his work, resulting in seemingly solid and slick boxes that are in reality cracked and conceal deeper meaning.
One of his pieces was purchased by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2020.
