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Vice Blog

Benjamin Bertocci's Stutter Opening Tonight

Benjamin Bertocci makes insane collage paintings on aluminum sheets that, at first sight, look like something a kid put together in an hour using trash findings and tedious business magazine clippings. But when you look closer into those weird eyes Benjamin uses in almost every piece you realize that there are other recurring themes in his work--mostly stuff like dish washers and air fresheners--and you go, "Waaaaaaaaaiiiiit a minute, these aren't glued-on picture clippings at all! They're actual frikkin' paintings!" And then stare yourself blind, scratching your head at how he managed to paint something so real looking and slapping yourself for being so quick to judge. Benjamin Bertocci's work is so genius he must be insane, or vice versa, and, seeing as he's the guy Jeff Koons hires to paint all his super realistic stuff, it's also safe to say he's one of the most skilled young painters in the world at the moment. If you happen to be in New York you can check out his show, Stutter, opening tonight at the Fuse Gallery.

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Vice: Hi Bejamin, what are these paintings about?
They deal with social aspects of human behavior that have been catalysts for the evolution of violence. In the past they helped us to dominate the food chain, but have since become a sort of evolutionary baggage in our current environment. They also address the idea of the self, and the effect that both cultural and genetic pressures have on the individual.

Sounds intricate.
They're also very personal. I guess painting is my way of expressing myself to others, without exposing the intimate details of what's going on in my life. Without it I would probably go insane.

I can imagine. What kind of personal stuff are you communicating with these works?
Things like regret and payback for the things you've done to people, and things you've gotten away with. That's what the red color represents. Hell.

This piece with the guy who has flames coming out of his head, is that supposed to be you?
The guy in that painting is from an image I found on the internet of an employee of the month. It's sardonic--I like to poke fun at myself--and the whole idea of an employee of the month makes me think of prostitution.

Are those your eyes in the paintings?
Yes, they're all mine, except for one piece where I used my girlfriend's eyes. The backgrounds are mostly computer screens, representing past emotional states that have, regrettably, become distant.

What's the deal with the machines?
They're the mind machine, the thinking process, or the genetically inherited behaviors that control us and get in the way of our happiness.

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I find it amusing that your nine to five job is painting for Jeff Koons.
Well, I usually work nightshifts. I actually clock in, like at a factory. Koons is a morning guy, though.

What's the working process like at Koons'?
He gives us high-resolution prints of collages he made in Photoshop that we paint copies of.

So he's more like the creative director of Koons Enterprises?
Yeah. We're about 80 painters and 120 people all together. Hundreds of people apply everyday.

MILÈNE LARSSON