Underneath all of my work is a sense of wonder in what hu-man beings create. In the magic that we feel standing at the foot of a Mayan Pyramid, both of these thoughts enter our minds at the same time: First we are amazed at the shear magnitude and magnificence of what was created so long ago, but concurrently we wonder what went so terribly wrong that it all vanished so mysteriously. I am filled with these same questions when I stand amongst the crumbling ruins of today: Who made this? Where did they go? Why did they leave this behind? Huge glass and steel or concrete and granite structures seem to be permanent yet when we look at the ancient pyramids or ruins from previous civilizations we realize that even the sturdiest of constructions can only sustain so much before crumbling to the elements of time. These images are an attempt to understand our place in the universe as well as human behavior. The full spectrum of so-cial debate can be argued, but I am actually attempting to communicate something on a spiritual level. The subject to me is not just about our environment, it is about human be-ings; What we subject one another to, what we are capable of withstanding, and finally what we leave behind. This un-dercurrent has led me more recently to include human sub-jects in my artworks. My initial series, which I have titled “Ru-ined”, was devoid of people and centered on the cityscapes themselves. I am most interested in my own neighborhood (Historic Bronzeville) which some have dubbed the Harlem of Chicago. Although many of our iconic institutions have perished, some are still around, though perhaps less cele-brated. I am not so much attempting to celebrate the proud history (I live between the homes of Louis Armstrong and Muddy Waters), but rather to tap into that same funky urban aesthetic that populated their songs.

Benjamin Jaffe at the 4Art Gallery in 2009

Born to Amy Jaffe [ the goddaughter of Jane Adams ] and Mordecai Jaffe [ a renowned Plant Physiologist], I

attended fifteen schools before completing my education. Because of the demand for my father’s research, my

family moved constantly following the cutting edge scientific research that he was doing. As a child I lived and

attended public schools in Israel and France, as well as 7 different American cities. This rootless childhood was

rich in the cultural immersion of; language, geography, and of course art and music. I had to learn how to adapt

quickly to different environments and languages. From a young age I experienced a life most people only read

about. At age nine I watched Israeli Phantom Jets dog fight with Mig fighters over the Negev desert in the holy

land. The following year while walking home from school in Strasbourg France, I witnessed a bank robbery and

identified the gun-wielding antagonist in a police line up straight out of a 40’s Film Noir. Years later on a cold and

windy winter night in Chicago I came to the aid of a stabbing victim, chasing off the would be rapist with a fram-

ing hammer, and administering first aid on the spot to the bleeding woman with 6 puncture wounds in her body

while awaiting an ambulance. These experiences have molded me into who I am today. Because of my traveling

education I have developed a unique worldview, which has helped me to maintain an open mind.

Perfection has it’s price

2006 Cabrini Green

Opening Night for

the Ruined Show

at the Mushroom

Gallery 2011

Who can know what

tomorrow may bring

2008

I attended The North Carolina School of the

Arts for my Junior and Senior years in High

School. The experiences that I received there

forever changed the course of my life and have

led me to be a life long artist. During these two

years I had the good fortune to meet and work

with such renowned artists as: Deborah Butter-

field, William Wegman, Judy Chicago, and Karl

Wirsum (whose charm and charisma convinced

me to follow him to the School of the Art Insti-

tute of Chicago for college). At the Art Institute

of Chicago, I studied Film and Photography

and had the good fortune of studying with

some of Cinema Verite’s finest Auteurs such

as Peter Kubelka, and the late Stan Brakhage.

I was fortunate to have received a classic Art

History education under such Master Scholars

as Marilyn Houlberg, and the late Sir Robert

Loescher. I currently live on the South Side

of Chicago in the historic neighborhood of

Bronzeville, between Muddy Water’s Way and

the former home of Louis Armstrong. I taught

Photography at Kenwood Academy and Gallery

37 where I drew inspiration from my talented

students. I now work as the Director of the Arts

for Senn Arts, a Fine and Performing Arts Mag-

net High School.

That which grows crooked can not be made straight 2009

Tire Repair 2008

The sky was dark and the ground was cold 2008 Installation for “The sky was dark...” at the Mushroom Gallery

My process is usually the same. Each image created involves anywhere from 50 to 200

photographs taken individually and then blended together with a computer to create

composite photographs that are between 1 and 2 Gigabytes in size. I print onto canvas

with archival inks rated to 200 years longevity. My canvas is mounted with archival ad-

hesive onto Acid free Gatorboard and hand varnished with a series of UV protectant and

a classic Demar Varnish. The result is a print that can be viewed without glass and have

centuries of life without fading. The Dye Infusion Aluminum Prints are printed in San Fran-

cisco using a new process that bonds and infuses the pigment into the pores of the sheet

of metal. These prints are extremely archival and also do not require glass. As my most

recent series have evolved I have begun to experiment with different methods of disply. In

a recent one man show arranged by Chicago art critic Paul Klein, I used backlit film with

several sculptural objects to create installations for my photograps.

The Shroud 2007

Chop Shop 2008

Fist 2008

Installation for Fist at the

Mushroom Gallery 2011