BEHIND THE SCENES WITH BENJAMIN VON WONG

He dons different hats; that of a photographer, a digital artist, a storyteller, a viral creative and an activist. Regardless of which words you would use to describe him, there’s one thing you cannot deny – his art conveys deep social and environmental issues through carefully crafted pictures that inspire people to stand up, take notice and act. His recent projects, especially the ones that depict global issues through the lens of fantasy & surrealism, have left a lasting mark on the world. Ahead of our 33rd anniversary, we spoke to Benjamin Von Wong about all things photography, art and activism.

- NITYAPRIYA KALIYATH

How did your photography journey begin?

In 2007, a girl broke up with me while I was working as a mining engineer in Winnemucca, Nevada. I desperately needed a new hobby to keep me busy and stumbled across photography. The desert stars were beautiful, and I thought it might be fun to learn how to capture them - so I went to Walmart and bought my first camera! The rest, as they say, is history.

You have deeply immersed yourself in the surrealism and the fantasy genres. What attracted you towards it?

As a child, I used to read a lot of fantasy and science fiction novels. Epic battles between forces of good and evil filled my childhood and I guess some of that creeped into what I find interesting today.

On a more practical level, I like creating images that ignite a sense of curiosity. That invites people to wonder if what they’re looking at is real or fake - because that’s an opportunity to start a conversation.

Since your recent work focuses on surrealism and fantasy, which requires a certain degree of post-processing, what are your thoughts on the debate of digital manipulation in post-processing?

Which debate? There are so many.

I personally try to create images that sit directly on the intersection of fantasy and reality. Often, the behind the scene images that show the process are just as exciting as the final results. I think that people assume that most things that are surreal and fantastical cannot be real - and I like to break those assumptions.