Growing up in an abusive, dysfunctional, and adoptive household and then being institutionalized from the ages of 13-18, where Ben Eichert was subjected to emotional, psychological, physical, and sexual abuse; let’s just say his 20’s was spent trying to figure out who he was and surviving his severe PTSD. It wasn’t until after a suicide attempt in 2014 that Ben found his true artistic calling. He registered in a Photoshop and Photography class where he was taught that he could create a portal into his world while conveying the feelings that he had. This is when Ben began to see himself as an artist. His art allowed him to process his pain and struggles.
It allowed him to explain how it felt growing up in an adoptive family, discovering and processing my African American ethnicity after the results of DNA test in 2018, and then again after finding his biological family in 2021. Art continues to help him speak more about how racism, dealing with sexual abuse as a male, and my recent discovery of being non-binary has impacted his life. Making art through their painful experiences has been a difficult, personal process - Ben didn’t want to let it go. Through therapy and growth, he was able to loosen my grip on his art and share it with the public.
On January 4th, 2020, Ben Eichert had his first solo show at the Lace Mill in Kingston, NY where he sold 24 pieces of work! He couldn’t have imagined that people would relate to his art so much, it was a humbling experience. And he is extremely grateful that his art can give someone the feeling that they are not alone in this world.
Ben Eichert is looking forward to experiencing how more of his future art will impact others, as well as himself.