Blog: Benjamin Wachenje

Having developed national campaigns for Timberland, MTV, BBC (and many others), he's becoming a renowned contemporary artist, already a highly respected Ctrl.Alt.Shift ambassador, and a proud mentor of our BALTIC project back in February, which set out to raise awareness of the injustices in Columbia through art.

Here, Benjamin Wachenje speaks about how art remains a powerful form of activism, his enlightened perception of Columbia, how the BALTIC project has inspired him, and where he deems change and progress is needed:

'I have known Ctrl.Alt.Shift's editor Chantelle Fiddy since we both worked at Touch Magazine in 2002-2003. When she contacted me about Ctrl.Alt.Shift at the BALTIC I was glad to get involved. The show was in the BALTIC - a brilliant opportunity for students to show work in such a highly regarded gallery, but even more exciting for me than the prestige of a show, was the opportunity to use art to heighten awareness of conflict in Colombia. I have worked in the media and advertising for 10 years and it was a liberating experience to receive this type of brief.
 
This project prompted me to learn about Colombia, in doing so I recognized a pattern, or sequence of events that I am very familiar with. Colombia is like many developing countries in the respect that its gross national product cannot service its national debt. American construction companies built Colombia's industrial infrastructures. The money for these huge undertakings, such as hydroelectric dams, airports and industrial parks was paid for with money borrowed from American banks. Even though these construction projects haven't been as economically successful as forecast, the Columbians are still obligated to honour the debt. So the Columbians are left paying off a loan for an over-inflated construction bill. What's more, they are servicing a debt for money, which they never got to touch, money that was wired from a bank in Washington to an American construction company. Although the violence in Colombia is inexcusable, it's easy to see how conflict could arise, especially when these major construction projects disrupted and displaced so many Colombians and exasperated a rich poor divide.
 
I am worried about the conflict because I don't think the international community is too concerned about the fate of Colombians. We don't hear much about Colombian history or about the human tragedy that is ongoing. Instead we are desensitized by a barrage of reports about a nation rife with drug cartels and militias who wait to ambush and make hostages of innocent American tourists to fund more bloodshed. The conflict in Colombia has had plenty overexposure over the decades – however, what we need is the right kind of exposure, an exposure that will help to effect positive change.

I think that, as artists, we underestimate our own political influence. Others don't. The most powerful governments have always known how key the artist is in winning the hearts and minds of the people and skilfully use this artistic leverage to steer the masses. Whether it's the Communist posters, the Nazi propaganda, or President Obama embracing Shepard Fairey's portrait and guerrilla street art campaigns during the 2008 presidential election - the artist has a voice. Sometimes a single image can capture the imagination of a nation. I would love to see a surge of political art that highlights, and champions ignored causes.
 
My role for Ctrl.Alt.Shift was only in a mentoring capacity; however, discussions with students during the workshops have inspired me to start putting together my first exhibition in 10 years. One theme I am exploring at the moment is the impact that conflict, or war, has on the young mind.
 
Have we accepted that children being killed is all part and parcel of modern warfare? Also, what of the young minds who survive air strikes and incursions - but witness horrific atrocities or sustain injuries? In the UK we have sanitised coverage of warfare, news corporations are careful not to show the brutal nature of real conflict. We have standards that protect our children and prevent them from witnessing violence on the television or even in a computer game. And so we should. But in some of the world's poorest countries, where televisions or games consoles are luxuries seldom seen, children are allowed to witness the harsh realities of warfare. More recently in Gaza, women and children were not allowed to seek refuge in neighbouring Egypt, effectively, locking them into the conflict zone. Why are we willing to allow this? Is it because they speak a foreign language, practice a different religion, enjoy a strange culture and live in a distant place, and this makes us feel disconnected? Or is there no excuse for apathy?'

Keep up to date with Benjamin Wachenje's [1]work and movements.