Ben Young

Born in 1982 in New Zealand, Ben Young is a self-taught contemporary sculptor internationally renowned for his impressive creations in laminated glass , concrete, stainless steel, and bronze. Based in Mount Maunganui, in the Bay of Plenty region, the artist has been developing a unique body of work for over fifteen years that explores the relationship between humankind and the ocean, transforming industrial materials into highly poetic seascapes.

A former boat builder and avid surfer, Ben Young draws his inspiration from the wild coasts of New Zealand's North Island, where he grew up. This close connection to the sea forms the foundation of his artistic world and fuels a constant reflection on the power, fragility, and immensity of nature. His work blends contemporary sculpture , environmental art , minimalism , and research into light and perception.

Without formal training in glassmaking, the artist has developed a completely personal technique. Each piece is hand-drawn, manually cut from sheets of clear float glass, and then assembled layer by layer to create complex volumes and spectacular depth effects. Light plays a crucial role in his creations: it passes through the material, animates the forms, and generates the illusion of flowing water, transforming solid glass into an almost liquid element.

The contrast between materials is also a fundamental aspect of his practice. Ben Young frequently combines glass with concrete, steel, or bronze to juxtapose the organic and the industrial, lightness and mass, the natural and the constructed. Small human figures, sailboats, or bronze divers often populate his compositions, introducing a narrative and meditative dimension within vast seascapes.

Her series, Sentiments of the Sublime, further explores this reflection on the relationship between humankind and nature. Through a refined and contemplative aesthetic, the artist seeks to evoke a sense of wonder, nostalgia, and humility in the face of natural forces. Her sculptures evoke both real places in New Zealand and universal mental spaces, inviting the viewer to an intimate experience of the landscape.

Ben Young has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the United States, with notable exhibitions in Chicago, Melbourne, Auckland, and Singapore. His work is now collected internationally and is considered a major reference in contemporary glass sculpture .

Through his meticulously handcrafted works, Ben Young renews the expressive possibilities of glass and affirms a profoundly poetic vision of the relationship between man, light and the ocean, occupying a singular place in the international scene of contemporary New Zealand art .