Wei Cheng

Bio

Benjamin Clemens is a ceramic sculptor whose work explores the fluid, multidimensional nature of identity through luminous forms that hover between representation and abstraction. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Clemens received a BA in Ceramics from the University of Colorado in 2016 and an MFA from the University of Kansas in 2023.

Their practice is grounded in a deep engagement with clay as a responsive and intuitive medium. Clemens’ work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions internationally, including shows in Uruguay, Denmark, Colorado, and the Midwest. Their first solo exhibition, Garzonimalia, debuted in Garzon, Uruguay, in 2024 and reflected an evolving exploration of myth, embodiment, and the spiritual presence of material. Clemens currently lives and works in Kansas City.

Artist Statement

My sculptural practice is a conversation between material, presence, and the multidimensional nature of identity. Each piece begins not as an object but as a probabilistic self: a coalescence of potential that channels both my inner world and the viewer’s. I work intuitively, with clay as a living collaborator, allowing forms to emerge through a process of listening, movement, and aesthetic response. These gestures act as energetic anchors in a field of shifting meaning, like nodes in a larger web of reality-creation.

The glowing porcelain of Light Jar, lit from within, recalls the hidden, essential moment of transformation inside the kiln. This light evokes embers in a primordial fire: a timeless presence suspended in form. The glow is not an aftereffect but a continuity, a visible echo of the material’s alchemical becoming. Light Jar is a portal, reflecting the self in flux, but also pointing toward a shared field of being that transcends any single identity.

I approach making as a spiritual and metaphysical practice. The sculptures are not fixed messages, but states of becoming: sites where different aspects of self, time, and consciousness meet. They are informed by an ongoing inquiry into alignment, multidimensionality, and the mutation of inherited forms. Each piece is a concentrated moment of presence that wants to be shared, inviting the viewer into a space where boundaries dissolve and reality feels newly permeable.

Exhibitions