'I chose art' – Interview with Benny J

When you meet an artist who loves life despite its pain and injustice, you realize this person embodies true strength.

I sat in front of him, thinking what an incredible person he is…Benjamin Michaels a.k.a Benny J Artist,  his  strength of spirit, his way of seeing life. Caladrii, everything you are about to read is the living words of a living artist. I had no right to change them – only to shorten a few moments for your reading pleasure.

We will start the interview right now! Tell us who you are.

Yeah, I always find this question difficult because I could go on forever. My name is Benny. I’m just another human being at the end of the day. But I was born in Australia with a rare disability (Nail Patella syndrome) that set me on a rather adventurous life course. Now I live in Luxembourg. This is my home. I love it here. And I’m trying to make the best of what I’ve got in life. That’s who I am. Pretty simple.

If you could describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
These five words always tend to change, but right now I’d say: stubborn, inquisitive, independent, struggling, resilient.

Does an artist bear responsibility for the emotions of the viewer?
It always depends on the purpose of the artwork and the artist. There’s a responsibility in generating and curating the work, in creating it for the viewer. But how the viewer interprets it is ultimately up to them. Some works of art may evoke very different emotions, but I don’t believe that’s the artist's responsibility. The creation is the artist’s responsibility, but the response is out of their control.

Can the viewer influence the artist, or are they two separate universes?
I think everything is entwined. The artist constantly receives feedback from those who engage with their work, and that inevitably has an impact, whether visible or not.

For me, I keep doing what I do because of the feedback I get from people. It may not change the type of art I create, but it encourages me to continue. In that sense, the influence is there. An artist needs an audience to connect with, and that becomes a relationship – an exchange where both learn from each other.

Insight. / © Benny J / Roux Magazine

What is art in the modern world? Do we need art today?


Absolutely, we always need art. To me, art today is the same as it has always been. An expression of our understanding of who we are, a telling of our human story – our emotions, our experiences, our learning and healing. Since the beginning of creativity, art has been that. It hasn’t changed, and it shouldn’t. I don’t believe it ever will. Art is a human story; technology can support it, but it can never replace it because it’s rooted in humanity. It’s the story of who we are and what we feel. That’s why art will always be, and should always be, vital in culture and society – because it helps us learn, reflect, and understand ourselves.

Tell us more about your projects and what you create.

Sure. I guess I’ll just start from where my decision to become an artist originates. It was when my health deteriorated due to my disability and disease. I needed to find something that could give me a purpose in life and a reason to get up in the morning.

I thought, OK, well, let’s start documenting my life, because I’d never had a role model. I’d never met anybody with the same condition until I started my artwork. So it was an opportunity for me to go, OK, I’ve tried to fit into society, and now I definitely don’t. I have an opportunity to create something and see where it leads me.

Photography was a simple way for me to begin. I had some basic training at school and asked a friend which camera to start with – that’s how I got my first DSLR.

I started there, first receiving feedback from friends and family, then from strangers, leading to exhibitions and finally to where I am today.

The artwork eventually came under an umbrella I call Project 117: my life philosophy. It began when I was ten, spending much of my childhood in hospitals and plaster casts. The doctors were basically giving me a completely negative outlook on life, and I needed something to hold onto and to live for.

One night, when I was having a kind of mental breakdown, I was reading philosophy. I was only about twelve years old, reading René Descartes’ Meditations. And I had this dream where I thought, I need to live until I’m one hundred seventeen. It became a kind of resilience in me, something that could ground me and give me longevity.

Untitled. / © Benny J / Roux Magazine

So I started a variety of them: my daily Resilience Diary on Instagram, stand-up comedy, storytelling, musiс, poetry. I also have a knitting project, a scarf about thirteen metres long now, which I started when I couldn’t sleep because of chronic pain.

That’s how my artwork has become a very powerful part of my life. I do it for me. I get up in the morning and I can choose to do anything, and I chose art because it helps me process what I’m going through – my decisions, my struggles, my depression, my pain. It’s given me a foundation to build on.

So technically, it’s turned into my power against pain. Or rather, my power against becoming nothing – against being overwhelmed by my health and my suffering. You see, by forty, the traditional path of life was basically removed from me – work, career, stability. But art gave me purpose, connection, and also something unique: a voice for disabilities, which is not highly represented.

Through my art, I can lobby for change, encourage inclusion, and help make life better for others. That wasn’t something I expected, but it’s become part of my journey. I’ve found that people connect with what I’m saying but may not be in a position to say it themselves. And I have that freedom, which is empowering and motivates me to keep going.

As for projects – my favorite would have to be my Resilience Diary. It’s the one that allows me to dump my thoughts of the day and move on. And that project also motivates me to get out of the house, to see the world, meet people, explore, and stay engaged in living.

Not to just give up and suffer.
And I think that's why it's so important to me.
And that's why it's my favourite project.
It's giving me my life.



Do you have a favorite artwork you’re especially proud of or find most significant?


Sure, I’ve got a couple. One is a photo I took early on in my photography in New Zealand of a tree. We went to a place called Lake Wanaka, famous for the most photographed tree in New Zealand. This tree, though, was about one hundred metres from the car park at Lake Wanaka. We went and looked at the famous tree and I was like, It’s a nice tree, I’ve got a photo with it, kind of cool. But then my best friend and I walked a bit further up the path and came across this other tree.

To me, it’s far stronger, with so much more character. I was really happy I made the effort to go further than the tree everybody takes a photo of, to find something unique. A lot of people just stop at that first boundary. And I think that’s why it’s important for me: it’s about seeing what’s there and then going further, pushing the boundary.

Stretches. / © Benny J / Roux Magazine

Another one is a photo of four birds on a light pole. The pole had pigeon spikes above the light, and all four birds were looking at the spikes. I find it amusing because the spikes are meant to stop birds from sitting there – and yet, there they are, all looking at them. To me, it’s a symbol: It doesn’t matter what you put in my way, I’ll find a way through.

Another recent one might become a favourite. Taken last week at a heavy-metal festival. There was this huge jack-in-the-box clown, looming at the back of the stage. In front of it, people were doing yoga. So, you had this scary clown jumping out of a jack-in-the-box overlooking a peaceful yoga crowd. That contrast touched me – it felt like the monster inside me. Every time I try to look after my health, my body fights back. So I’ll let it sit for a while, but I think it’s powerful.

Another one: a mountain range in Austria, taken at night with stars over snow-capped peaks, just south of Sölden. I printed it on metal and it has an aura, it shimmers in the light. For me, the mountains are a place of freedom. I learned to ski there, which is very challenging for me physically, but it’s where I push my limits and feel alive.

I remember that night: leaving my friend’s flat, it was -13°C, my body was hurting badly, but I walked a couple of hundred metres and looked up at the stars. It was breathtaking. Every time I look at that photo, I remember that feeling. The mountains keep me motivated every year. Most people want a summer body – I want a winter body, strong enough to ski.

© Benny J / Roux Magazine

Maybe there are specific rules for art nowadays?


I don’t think so. You can get into trouble with artwork depending on what you say. But that’s always been the case. Art pushes boundaries, shows us where society’s limits are. What offends some may inspire others. That’s important – it teaches us about ourselves, our morals, our comfort zones. That’s why there shouldn’t be strict rules. Society will always respond, and that response is part of art’s role.

In your projects, do you speak often about yourself, your pain, something symbolic, or does it change?
I think I’m telling my story. But my story overlaps with many others because we’re all human. Sometimes I separate pain from the personal – like in poetry, I use my own experience to describe pain universally. But ultimately, art is storytelling. That’s what humans are: storytellers.

Why is death a recurring theme in your art? Is it therapy or confrontation?


Death is a reminder that life is finite. Time is limited. That makes life more valuable. Suicide has touched my family – I’ve had two close losses. With my health, the thought is always there, but I value life deeply. Death, in my work, is a reminder: it will come. I don’t need to force it, but I do need to talk about it. It’s part of life. Project 117 came from that idea – that I want to live one hundred seventeen years old, to squeeze as much life as I can into the time I have.

Would you give up your struggles for the chance at a happier life without them?


No. Struggles would just take another form. Everyone has them. I can’t guarantee another life would be happier. I can only work with what I have, surround myself with the right people, and make the most of it.

© Benny J / Roux Magazine

Do you have any advice for students?


Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who help you become the person you want to be. Get rid of anyone who pulls you down. It’s not easy, but the people around you shape your life. Sometimes that’s family, sometimes you have to find them yourself. Push your boundaries, meet new people, take risks. When you find the right ones, you’ll lift each other up. That’s the most important thing I’ve learned.

Thank you very much.


My pleasure.

Roux Magazine

Roux Magazine is made by students at the University of Luxembourg. We love their work, so we decided to team up with them and bring some of their articles to our audience as well. You can find all of their issues on Issuu.