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There was never a doubt in Ben Mazey’s mind that he would end up working in some kind of creative industry.
‘I vividly remember being five years old telling Mum I was going to be a fashion designer or an artist,’ Ben says. Turns out he’d be pretty successful at both.
Growing up in rural New Zealand, his initial dream was to ‘move to Auckland or Wellington and work in a shop that sold Stussy t-shirts to cool people’.
But by his 30s, he’d lived in Melbourne, London, and finally Paris, where he worked as design director for one of the world’s biggest design houses, Kenzo — working under the then-newly appointed creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Opening Ceremony.
Then, in 2020, Ben was living in China when the pandemic hit, and he experienced what he calls an accidental ‘Covid pivot’.
‘All my stuff and my dog were still in Shanghai and I took a lease on an empty apartment in Melbourne. I was pretty spent from a busy decade or so, and on day three of that first lockdown, I just decided to be on a self-directed artist residency,’ Ben explains.
‘I went to Deans Art, got a tonne of supplies and just started making stuff. From the get-go, I felt like I was onto something, and I’ve really just kept following what has felt like a quite natural momentum.’
As a modern and confident creative, Ben armed himself with a slab roller, a knife, and a ruler, and turned to the one place where you can learn anything: YouTube. A few years later, these remain the primary tools in his arsenal, using them to craft the distinctive rippling wall sculptures — where clay takes on the look of fluid ribbons of fabric — lamps, and candlesticks Ben has since become known for.
‘Technically, I’m still really clunky, which I am more than fine with,’ Ben adds. ‘I don’t say that to be all humble, but I love how basic my practice still is.’
There is, however, a real elegance and honesty to this simplicity. Many of Ben’s pieces reimagine classic motifs in a completely contemporary way, epitomised by his enchanting wall scones lit up by a single candlestick.
‘I am always loathe to say, “Oh my work is influenced by this specific thing,”’ Ben says. ‘Something that really resonates with me is this Jung quote along the lines of; “Things properly begin in your 40s, everything until then is just research.”
‘I feel my general trajectory has shaped a visual language that feels pretty specific to me.’
These days, he’s enjoying exploring what he calls his ‘archetypes’ on repeat from his unique studio-slash-home in Sydney. It’s a commercial lease that was a ‘shell’ when he first saw the place, but this also meant Ben had the ‘luxury of specifying’ where he wanted the walls and pretty much everything else.
‘I wanted to leave it as rough as possible. I joke that it’s some “big dumb art bro fantasy loft space.” I’ve also just invested in an ice bath and sauna, which I’m delighted about,’ Ben says.
The two-storey building is now a fittingly eclectic headquarters, filled with pieces that have followed Ben from his various stages of life, in different homes, across continents. It’s a bit of an insight into his brain and an extension of his quirky practice.
By day, he works full-time as the design director for fashion label P.E Nation. By night, in the early mornings, or really, whenever inspiration strikes, he indulges in the ‘wildly cathartic’ process of his ceramics — which he says has influenced another significant lifestyle change.
‘I’ve been sober for 3.5 years now… it feels like a life-hack I never thought I could access,’ explains Ben.
It sounds like a lot. But the creative powerhouse admits he works best this way, and seldom runs out of steam.
‘I sound like Charli XCX saying she’s never really been heartbroken over a boy, but I don’t actually ever find myself in a creative rut,’ Ben says.
‘I think I’m just getting warmed up and there’s still so much left in the creative tank.’
