Dorian SOUSA CALVO – gets shampoo in his eyes too frequently
Hugo NAZAC – average Jean-Luc Godard enjoyer
Kristina SHATOKHINA – woman of vision; high priestess
Lina HARRATI-SCARPA – I like cats
Margaryta ALEKSANDROVA – the witch
Stefan DIAC – sober philosopher
Umut UCAK – rank II level 41 yapper
Valère GAUBE – “none of the things I did was ungrammatical”
Zoltan TAJTI – founding father; Maecenas of the online edition
We are thankful to: Ramona Ventimiglia and the Office of Student Life, Veerle Waterplas, Margaly Monelus, Sonja Di Renzo, Antonio Tavan, the Repro Team, Espace Cultures, Anouk Wies, Karin Langumier, Alannah Meyrath, Bianca Pirrelli, Student Lounge Belval and all children of SAUL, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, Julie Toussaint, LLC, Silvia from Café Saga and the Uni’s Cinema Club.
ROUX WANTS YOU Recruitment poster Roux is partners
Unless otherwise noted, all images in the magazine are public domain as described in the Creative Commons
CC0-1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication licence, and fall under no copyright obligations.
Direct all copyright claims to: paper.roux@gmail.com
Find us at: campus buildings (reception areas, magazine stands), student lounges, chill-out-zones, Dalmat CoffeeHouse, and LLC.
Join us! We are looking for graphic designers, writers, artists, photographers, reporters, administrators and all sorts of sailors willing to (wo)man the good ship ROUX!
Contact us: paper.roux@gmail.com
Find the magazine online: https://issuu.com/ rouxmagazine
Instagram: @roux.magazine
Some pages designed using images from rawpixel.com
Cover designed by Kristina Shatokhina Poster p. 12–13 hand-drawn by Lina Harrati-Scarpa
Find out what has been written for you in the stars...
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Celebrity: Son Goku
Do: Ice cream, baby
Don’t: Not ice cream, baby
SEMESTRIAL HOROSCOPE
by ROUX editorial
Get into making ice cream. Buy – or, for the naughty ones, download – an ice cream machine. Nothing you can do in life will be as fulfilling as filling your friends’ tummies with your ice cream. Making ice cream is literally the easiest thing ever. Mix eggs and sugar in one bowl, and boil milk and cream. Temper the egg mixture with the boiled milk, pray the salmonella disappears and now for the fun part: add absolutely anything to this. Chocolate, bananas, pistachios –fuck it, add all of them. Making ice cream is a lawless wasteland and it’s delicious.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Celebrity: Shrek
Do: Swamp sex
Don’t: Slay nor tame the dragon, exercise hypocrisy, attempt to occupy Lord Farquaad’s castle
(adapt these metrics to your life situation)
You are perfect just the way you are. We talked to the stars and they told us they have nothing to add really.
Gemini (May 21 – June 21)
Celebrity: Marilyn Monroe In: Taking things as they come Out: Giving in to despair or overconfidence
This semester will remind you of your sign’s special kinship to the mythical twins Castor and Pollux. One is human, the other is divine: likewise, you will both experience moments so exalting that you might call them “divine”, and others, more down to earth, that will seem quite a bit dull in comparison. These ups and relative downs will flatter and seduce your already mercurial Gemini self – so remembering that the good and the bad, the fun and the boring, are all part of a life well-lived will help you stay centred and not lose your head
Cancer (June 22 – July 22)
Celebrity: Courtney Love
Do: Start a band, a secret literature area in -2 floor of the LLC, Pumpkin Spice Latte from Dalmat
Don’t: Energy vampires, AI-generated avatars
This semester, you might feel like you’re not worth it, you might doubt yourself, you might fear. We ask you to remember that fear is the little death that brings obliteration. Face your fear, permit it to pass over you and through you. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing, only you will remain. It is then, submerged deep in the dark waters of your inner self, you will find out that things down below are akin to those above, and you will see yourself a golden apple tree, connecting the two together. Don’t fear the sea monsters swimming in the black waters. To them, you’re a monster too.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
Celebrity: Twenty-four carat Gold Labubu
Do: Turn the opps into an example
Don’t: Disrupt your circadian rhythm
Fortune favours the bold, but, sometimes, too much is too much. Don’t try anything balls-to-the-wall insane this time around, such as affecting the vocal mannerisms of Stephen Hawking’s voice synthesiser to make your ChatGPT-written final essays seem more believable, or romancing your teacher in order to pass a course for which you could just as well have done the readings. Nip these ideas in the bud before they bite you in the butt. Fortune is currently feeling a little bit blasée and has kind of a crush on those who show up on time, put in the effort, and play hard afterwards So get yourself together, take the straight path, and simply be – excellent, as befits a regal sign such as yours.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Celebrity: Margaryta Aleksandrova (@theenvironment_band) In: Strolls in Luxembourg, Vivienne Westwood, talking, The Environment Band, acceptance Out: Pushing away those who care
Being realistic means knowing you can get what you want, but only if you’re willing to grow into the person who can live that life. A successful, kind, and exciting semester awaits you. Just don’t forget to enjoy the process – life knows when we love it. The more coincidences you embrace as luck, the luckier you become.
Libra (September 23 – October 23)
Celebrity: Kim Kardashian Do: Choke out the last guy who ran off on the pack with your Givenchy gloves Don’t: Drink water. Big Water wants you to think you need it but I’ve seen the internal memos!!!
Life is a delicate balance, and we know you’ve been working hard. If you feel like the scales haven’t been tipped in your favour lately, we think you’re gonna like what life has planned for you next. Everything is about balance, like how much coffee you should drink and how close you are to the nearest toilet. If we do not maintain a fair balance, we might make a mess. But don’t worry, check your bag, we put extra toilet paper, so you are ready to rock it this year :)
Scorpio (October 24 – November 21)
Celebrity: Sheeta (from Castle in the Sky) Do: Be more confident!
Don’t: Limit yourself only to what you already know.
Believe in yourself and don’t lose your motivation, you will succeed. You’ll have to endure hardships but thanks to your resilience you’ll make it. As you continue your semester, try not to focus only on the negative side. Instead, recognize and celebrate all the effort you’ve already put in. Remember, like Sheeta, you’re both kind and intelligent. Despite her shy and gentle nature, Sheeta found the courage to rise above hardship and reclaim her true place. In the same way, you too can rise above stress and prove your strength this semester. Hold on to those qualities! Trust yourself, keep going, and know that every step forward is proof of your determination.
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
Celebrity: Ada Lovelace
Do: Impulsive travels, cool leather jacket, communicate with God through one long hand-written letter
Don’t: Seeking outward validation
Where is the line between good and evil? Shakespeare once said there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Did the old poet mean that one must be intelligent to tell one from another, or that whether something is well or ill is but a subjective judgement? This semester will make you walk the line between the two, the good and the bad. You will become the hero for some and the villain for others. Either way, you will absolutely need the main character outfit, so sort it out as soon as possible.
Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
Celebrity: Victor Frankenstein
Do: Enjoy autumn, make the most of what you have, tiramisu
Don’t: Overthink, be hard on yourself (your childhood self doesn’t deserve it)
You’ve come a long way and had a glow-up (you’re so much better than your past self). Allow yourself to pause and give yourself credit. Don’t put all the weight on your shoulders or make life harder than it is. The point of life is to make the journey as enjoyable as possible. Embrace your studies, but don’t just survive on 4 hours of sleep, coffee, and energy drinks. This year will demand effort, focus, and your bright mind – but don’t overthink it, or the outcome might… well, slightly disappoint.
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
Celebrity: Bob Marley
Do: Take initiative
Don’t: Karate-chop someone on the neckbone (unless it’s a goblin)
Grab a sword – the biggest one, if possible. No more waiting around for a better world to come by, it is time to make the world you want to live in. You will help the local farmer with his lost daughter, he says some goblins captured her. Also, the drinking well is contaminated with something, some workers on their break got sick, you must find the source (it is the poachers who left dead animals by the river.) You will then be offered to marry the farmer’s daughter. You will inherit the farmer’s land, put down the sword, you deserve some peace after all the good you have done.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
Celebrity: Dr. Seuss
Do: Rhyme
Don’t : Bite into a lime
This is a declaration of utmost importance
I promise that this will not cause a disturbance
The fate of your year is written across the stars
Unless you are attacked and eaten by jaguars
But I read the stars, and they said you won’t It said in all caps and bold that you are THE GOAT
However, I do see a bear, running on all fours
But you will suplex him and pull down his drawers
Afterwards, go read the Aries entry and get yourself an ice cream
Because you are so nice, and so clean
A farewell conversation on artistic vulnerability and creative student participation with exROUX artist
Sofia Miller written and designed by Kristina Shatokhina
Kristina: Heey Sof! It’s such a pleasure to sit down with you and chat about the journey we’ve shared over the past (three? wow...) years – as artists/writers for ROUX, but also as good friends. With your departure coming up, we wanted to celebrate your time here in a little homage; to finally shine a spotlight on the face behind so many amazing artworks and designs, and to hear what this experience has meant for you –your art, your take on student participation, and all the moments in between. Let's take it from the start:
How did you first get involved with ROUX, and what made you stay?
AND THE THE GROSS, THE TENDER, TRANSFORMATIVE
Sofia Miller, seen by the author
Sof: Thank you so much for this opportunity! I feel super honoured. I first got involved with ROUX because I followed up on Zoltan’s email [Note: Zoltan Tajti is a former philosophy student who founded ROUX in 2022] about the idea for a student magazine. I remember that I was pretty scared but figured that I should just be brave and take the chance. I believe you and I also met for the first time during that meeting and bonded, which I’m extremely (and eternally) grateful for. And then, day by day, things just sort of fell into place. I guess this can be said about a lot of things in life. I stayed because it gave me a creative outlet, but also a sense of purpose and community; something that I had longed for for a long time. I felt like I was actually doing something significant, simply put. And of course, the interpersonal connections and experiences, whether good or bad, cannot be underestimated. They were transformative.
K: I too think back fondly to those early days and the work we did on the first issues in the Winter Semester of 2022. Some of it was, let’s say, questionable haha, but other designs I look at now and think: girl, you did that? IT SLAPS. And it still feels true to my style. Having been sketching and designing for ROUX for years, was there a moment where you felt your work really clicked, like “this is MY voice”?
S: Yeah, for sure. I think, as an artist – and I’ve been trying to really get comfortable with using that term for myself – you always have works that you’re fond of and works that you’d rather forget about. As for pieces that clicked for me, it must be Whatever, the poster in Issue #14 with the big pool table. The idea of drawing some chaotic bar-type establishment came to life pretty naturally here. Over time, the poster really grew on me and now I feel like it really represents what I do. Other than that, I do like the Rat Lovers at Fashion School Celebrate Saint Valentine’s poster. I wanted to draw these two mischievous, yet naive, best friends –and the issue was published in February so I thought I should sneak in some Valentine’s Day-related bits and pieces in there. That’s why it has a locker with Valentine’s Day cards
on it. Also, the cover for Issue #17 with the close-up of the open mouth and tooth – I’m happy with how that one turned out. Looking back, I feel like I could’ve always done more and better but those pieces definitely “set the scene”, in a way. As for designs, I am pretty fond of the Björk’s Vespertine album review (Issue #18), where I wrote about one of my favourite albums and tried to represent the contents of the album with the graphics I could get my hands on at the time – like the little gemstones and minerals. Also, the personality quiz (Issue #20)! Although that one made me want to tear my hair from my scalp. Our team had the idea to create a fictional boy band, and I designed a personality quiz for the readers, so that they could find out which band member would be their potential soulmate – a way to mimic magazines from the early 2000s.
I do think that the role of the artist is equal or at least similar to the role of a lover...
K: You mention this feeling of always being able to do more or better, of being driven a little crazy by your own creation. Do you think that kind of vulnerability is just part of being an artist? Especially since your art sometimes leans towards the transgressive or touches on sensitive topics, it can be so easy to get misread, which makes putting yourself out there even more vulnerable. Actually, the notion of vulnerability itself brings me back to the thematic threads that seem to run through your work: bodily and psychic fragility – teeth falling out, distorted limbs, mental fractures, delusions. And yet all of this is always counterbalanced by the absurd humour that holds it all together...
S: Ah, I love that observation, thanks so much! I do think that the role of the artist is equal or at least similar to the role of a lover – they both make you see things that you wouldn’t be able to see on your own. And that includes plenty of vulnerability!
I put a lot of myself into what I do. Naturally, the themes I keep coming back to are personal struggles, experiences, and, simply, things that I think about regularly. This can include feminist themes, body image, the role of art in society, humour... Creating art, getting crafty and imaginative, is what keeps me fulfilled and stable. In contrast, I often explore instability: moments before disaster, dreams, delusions and fragility – as you said. Combining all of these themes under the umbrella of humour is something I just automatically do. I have to admit, most of the time, I don’t even have the intention to be funny. I love nasty and gross stuff too! At the moment I’m really enthusiastic about sea cucumbers.
K: Artist as lover, I love that! I like how this definition works against the cliché of the “lonely artist” by centring the mutual, transformative power of love. And the sea cucumbers as your new muse, creatures that are both gross and tender...Speaking of gross and tender, ROUX has definitely given us plenty of moments that fall somewhere between disaster and pure magic. What stuck with you most?
S: I would say all the moments of “community” stuck with me the most, I’ll definitely treasure those for a very, very long time. I believe the type of moments you have mentioned, between disaster and pure magic, are the ones I will treasure most – when it’s a couple steaming heads crammed together, working right before the deadline, thinking of last-minute solutions. We’ve had plenty of those. I also love how we all influenced and inspired each other –emotionally, creatively, personally... Looking back, I think you have certainly been one of the strongest and biggest influences on me. I’ve gone through a lot of change through ROUX and in front of ROUX members. One of the funniest moments for me, that I can think of from the top of my head, was the time when we started putting random objects on Valère’s head in each meeting. I think we even have a folder with a photo collection of those instances, no?
K: Our meetings DID produce a strange archive: Valère with all kinds of objects on his head... I loved that tiny absurdist tradition. Thinking about what you just said, about this mutual growth and stressful yet entirely self-imposed
#17 ROUX Anniversary edition cover, Sofia Miller (2024)
deadlines, it really reflects broader questions around the community. These days, there’s a lot of talk about “engagement” and “participation,” but few are willing to give up free time to actually make things happen. In Belval, we used to hear that “there’s no student life here,” but the truth is, nobody will create it for you if you don’t step up. With a new wave of students arriving this autumn, what should they expect from student life on campus, and what changes have you noticed in the local scene since our early ROUX days?
New students should expect that there is definitely ground to cover, things to work on, to invent. And they should take this chance.
S: I believe that nowadays it is important to remember that community requires work and effort – but that type of work is rewarding! Engagement doesn’t come easily, it requires you to get out of comfort zones and take risks. Easier said than done, of course. I don't think I can make general observations for how the local scene changed, but I know for sure that it can always be improved, always be reclaimed by students and their creative, collective endeavours. New students should expect that there is definitely ground to cover, things to work on, to invent. And they should take this chance. If you feel like an activity or collective is missing, try creating it! Or at the very least, ask around! It's crazy how quick some things can be put into motion if we dare to ask for what we need. As you said, student life is truly what you make it. Even if that “only” means finding a nice circle of people that you connect with and feel safe with. That, in itself, can already be tremendous.
K: Thank you so much for this. I honestly think it’s a perfect note to wrap up our conversation: student life, and creative communities more broadly, only flourish when we take initiative and support one another. Dear Sof, we’ll all miss you very much, and I hope to work with you again in the future!
#19 ROUX, Rat Lovers at Fashion School Celebrate Saint Valentine’s, Sofia Miller (2025)
#14 ROUX, WHATEVER, Sofia Miller (2024)
Falling in love with concerts
After a long day of Uni and a long tiring night of work, on my way back home I saw this concert poster hung up on a fence saying with a large typical metal font writing: “FALLING IN REVERSE. From Fall To Spring as special guests, 10th of June”. I was immediately sold. I bought the ticket just a few days before the concert. Imagine this scenario: an entire year of study, work, anxiety, financial concerns, and sleepless nights caused by all of them, but you live in Belval, right next to the concert venue (Rockhal) where the band that helped you go through troubled times is playing in just a few days. You would have to be evil incarnate not to go.
Fast forward to the day of the concert, I planned to get in line early so I would manage to get as close to the stage as possible. Not a chance. There was already a huge line and it became even longer after I arrived. Luckily for me, I could only afford the ticket at that time and most of the people rushed to the merchandise stand before the concert. This time, being broke played in my favour because if I wasn’t, I would have done the same.
Suddenly the venue lights turn off, background music goes quiet, the stage lights get brighter, and we see the guest band’s poster as a background. In less than ten minutes, the band’s team does a soundcheck. A moment of silence… boom! From Fall to Spring rushes onto the stage and starts blasting the crowd with a similar rap-metalcore goodness that fans expect from the headlining band, which, in my opinion, was a pleasant surprise, thus setting the theme for the rest of the night. As the band goes on with some absolute bangers, I notice a couple of really cool details. First of all, there are two frontmen, who happen to be twins and equally talented in terms of clean and rough vocals. Then, they have an amazingly choreographed performance: the jumps, and the crowd work in combination with the special effects.
They really did put on a hell of a performance. My only gripe with this performance was actually the crowd and not the band. Man, the people really were boring. For most of the time, with the exception of a few dedicated fans that already knew the band, people were just standing still! Fortunately, the band knew exactly how to fix this. Moshpits! “Side to side! We want to see the f*cking middle spin!”, they said. Of course I joined, even though it turned out I was just hanging on for dear life to my buddy that joined me.
After letting what just happened from the amazing guest band sink in, we did not have to wait for long to see FALLING IN REVERSE come on stage. Once again, the sound-folk moved quickly and efficiently which allowed for better anticipation build-up for the band. And what excitement there was!
The venue goes pitch dark… the big screen at the front of the stage shows the band entering Rockhal in real time. Fans go wild (finally), the build-up goes stronger and then silence… darkness… Suddenly, symphonic music starts playing. It’s Prequel! Sang along the entire song. But, man, seeing Ronnie live is something else! I know he is an amazing singer, but he gets better each year. Even more than the first, the mental-health-struggle series songs (Voices in my head, Popular Monster, Bad Guy), the metalcountry All my life (feat. Jelly Roll), the newest single – at that time – featuring Marilyn Manson, God Is A Weapon, an exquisite gothicsensual-metal-ballad cocktail, the absolute reaper that is Ronald (feat. Tech9 and Alex Terrible), the rap twist of No Fear dissing the entire music industry and more, and of course, the classics of the band from back in the day of Ronnie’s emo phase (Fuck You And All Your Friends, Losing My Mind, The Drug In Me Is You, and I’m Not A Vampire).
The entire performance was LIT(erally), with Ronnie roasting the crowd – and not just the fire effects – including a more fired up fan: “Please, put your shirt down. It’s not 1989 anymore. That sh*t’s weird. Thank you. Stay safe”.
I’m pretty sure you know exactly what he was talking about. The lights were not the only ones flashing, hehe. The combination of spontaneity and choreographed moments made the show truly one of a kind, such as the ‘Asshole Cam’, Ronnie pretending that he got mad at the crowd, leaving the stage then proceeding the encore with No Fear, the fact that the band’s bassist and backing vocalist is now Daniel Laskievicz, the current frontman of BAD WOLVES
Everything was amazing. Last but not least, our boys ended the concert with a blast that is Watch The World Burn, almost making us watch the venue burn down since fire was bursting during the entirety of the song. Screaming out of my lungs and jumping the entire time, managing to get some pictures with the members of From Fall To Spring, this experience makes me concert-nostalgic still to this very day, this very moment in which you are reading this. So much so that I bought two more tickets for Lorna Shore playing with Whitechapel and Shadow of Intent, and, of course, for the newly announced Europe tour by none other than Bad Omens
written by Stefan Diac designed by Kristina Shatokhina
photos provided by the author
N e w S t a r t
T h e d a f f o d i l ( l a j o n q u i l l e i n F r e n c h ) s y m b o l i z e s t h e s t a r t o f c l a s s , b l o o m i n g w i t h t h e p r o m i s e o f r e n e w a l a n d f r e s h b e g i n n i n g s w e s h a r e t o g e t h e r.
I CHOSE ART
Interview with Benny J
written by Margaryta Aleksandrova designed by Kristina Shatokhina
I sat in front of him, thinking what an incredible person he is… Benny J artist’s 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. And the first question is: 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.
self-portraits&photos are provided by the artist
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.
What is art in the modern world? Do we need art today?
Absolutely, we always need art.
Stretches. Benny J
...Art is storytelling. That is what humans are: storytellers.
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.
Open Blinds. Benny J
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.
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.
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-thebox 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.
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.
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.
Insight. Benny J
Obstacles. Benny J
SALOMÉ: How good to see the moon! She is like a little piece of money, you would think she was a little silver flower. The moon is cold and chaste.
