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1967 Born in Cheshire
1976 Moved to Scotland
1986-1990 Studied Fine Art at Newcastle University
1992 Exhibited at William Hardie, Glasgow( Scottish Landscapes)
1993 Exhibited at The National Portrait Gallery, London (P.B. Awards)
1997 Exhibited at Browse and Darby, London
1998 Exhibited at The Glasgow Art Fair, The National Portrait Gallery and »The Discerning Eye », Mall Galleries London
1999 Exhibited at the Royal College of Art, Twentieth Century Show, The National Portrait Gallery (P.B. Awards) and Agnews
2000 /2001 Exhibited at the London Contemporary Art Fair
2001 Exhibited at the Jonathan Cooper Gallery, London
2003 Exhibits at the Raab Galerie, Berlin
Ben Henriques follows a famous painterly tradition, that is not only represented by Scottish art but as well by the work of Lucian Freud, one of the best known British contemporary artists. As is the works of Freud, Henriques' works are based upon predecessors like Titian or Chardin, whose works encourage him to define his own motives. Within Henriques' generation the decision to paint in a figurative manner has become a natural option, - after long years of discussions, whether figurative painting is still valid in times of photographic representation. As the observer can see, Henriques work is not about photographic representation, but rather about an illusionary description of his ideas. Art history is only the starting point, from where he proves that the painted subjet or object is transformed through painting to have an impact upon our perception. As always painting has to meet the requirement to be of one's time, so there have to be elements that are representative of the 21rst century.
By using traditional painterly techniques and contents ( portrait, stillife, landscape) Henriques sets himself the aim to seduce the viewer to reflect upon the images. A flower stillife in a room where a wall seems to become the sky, a glass on a table, whose shadow seems to be drunk and plunging, a quince that could date back to a flamish stillife but is set out of ballance by a security key, a woman, surrounded by worldly and vanity symbols, that are painted in a complicated ballance absorb the viewer and create a dream world out of time and space. All of a sudden, dramatic moments appear in front of the inner eye: the knife at the edge of the table, the tablecloth plunging down, the tin on the sheet, might every moment abolish the ballance in the paintings. This causes tension and curiosity about what could be found behind the screen. Thus the painting is an invitation to look at the fragile composition in suspense. The knife might be put away or drawn, the tablecloth might hide something or reveal it, if falling down, there may be peace as well as drama in every possible new composition that the viewer might create within the painting. But the way of painting will always remind the viewer of beauty and thus sets his mind to dreams.