Unframed, episode 6: Ben Johnston

Unframed concludes its Ontario series of interviews by exploring Ben Johnston’s incredibly precise artistic process. The Canadian artist recently revisited his South African hometown a couple years ago, returning with an appreciation of the artistic effervescence characterising North America.

In the span of just one filming of his Unframed episode, Ben Johnston had just completed over 30 projects. The Toronto-based artist never seems to stop, “A lot of time, I think that when you’re under pressure, that’s when the best ideas come. I think I add more projects to my schedule, so that happens”.

Describing himself as very meticulous and precise individual, his typographical artworks are near-perfection: “I like everything to be perfect. So, even if it’s brush lettering or, you know, something that looks like it’s messy, it’s worked out perfectly beforehand. It’s about keeping that level of perfection and pushing it each time as well. You gotta make sure that it’s always upgrading,” he claims.

Learn more about the artist’s artistic approach here.