Ben Altman responds to violent turning points of modern history, how they have formed our world, and what it means to inherit these collective traumas. Through his work he tries to understand the challenges imposed by the past and use them to decode and rethink the present.
Among other awards, Altman has received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and a NYSCA/NYFA Fellowship for his project The More That Is Taken Away.
To mourn, memorialize, and activate our intractable histories he draws ideas and materials from a range of practices including photography, video, performance, and sculptural interventions in the land. His current and recent work is made in the context of his home, but he has also visited sites around the world. His presentations vary from traditional to multi-disciplinary and interactive.
