All images © Benjamin Sack, shared with permission
When Benjamin Sack (previously) graduated from university, he sought a new adventure. “I wanted to travel and see and draw the places that inspire my work,” he tells Colossal. One day, he inquired with Holland America Line, which led round-the-world sea voyages, to see if the company might be interested in a novel trade: in exchange for a spot on the ship, Sack would lead classes and lectures and create a large drawing. “Long story short, they loved the idea and welcomed me aboard, saying it would only happen this one year,” he says. Ten years later, he’s something of a “court artist” on a vessel called the King Neptune.
Sack is influenced by historical cartography and architectural designs, and many of his black-and-white urban renderings evoke etchings popularized in 17th-century London. The artist adds elaborate metallic borders that suggest antique gilded frames, yet the compositions swirl with a contemporary flair.
Each meticulous, large-scale piece takes its cues from places Sack travels while on board the ship. Like a sailing microcosm of a city, the vessel’s rhythms, schedule, and international denizens provide endless inspiration. “My position onboard is unique in that I’m kind of in the grey zone between passenger and crew member,” the artist says. “I have access to both worlds as it were, much like how art is in the real world, where all practices and divisions in society overlap.”
During the past two years, voyages that have inspired new work include itineraries around Africa, South America, and twice around the world. The sea itself lends a hand to Sack’s work sometimes, too, especially if traveling through rougher regions like the Drake Passage between South America’s Cape Horn and Antarctica or while the captains maneuver through changeable weather. “Most of the time, though, it’s a joy to draw with the lilt and lull of the sea,” Sack says. “She gives the page life!”
Explore more of Sack’s work on his website, and follow updates about his art-filled experiences at sea on Instagram.
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