Sydney-based Australian artist, curator and educator Ben Rak is renowned for his exploration of identity, performativity and transformation. Rak is one of Australia’s most prolific contemporary experimental printmakers, and his works are often inspired by the potential for printmaking processes to traverse material and conceptual boundaries.

What is at first glance a bewildering composition of legs, figures and intriguing abstraction, ‘Socially structured movement’ is a clever, thought-provoking print that explores cross-cultural identity in Australia. Deeply inspired by both his Jewish identity and his affiliation with Australian surfing culture, Rak superimposes a close-up image of a surfer’s legs onto silhouettes of Jewish dancers, creating a composition that speaks intimately to his sense of self, whilst also addressing the importance of body language and specified movement within these cultures. Within this work, Rak also uses patterns of black-and-white lines, reminiscent of barcodes, to create tonal depth and visual intrigue - a testament to the artist’s technical skill.

Rak has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions across the country, and his works are held in both private and public collections in Australia and internationally - including in the Geelong Regional Gallery, Grafton Regional Art Gallery, and Warrnambool Art Gallery. For collectors of Australian prints and lovers of cross-cultural conversation, Rak’s work is certainly rewarding.

Ben RAK (1978 - )
'Socially structured movement' 2012
screenprint on paper
Edition of 23
Image Size: 61 x 50 cm
Dimensions: 61 x 50 cm
Signed: Signed 'Ben R', edition on bottom right corner

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Exhibitions: Another impression was featured in Corporeal at Geelong Art Gallery in 2013. This exhibition and associated print exchange was curated by Rona Green.

Condition: Excellent

(c) Ben Rak / Copyright Agency