Multi–hyphenate Bill Bensley is known as an architect, landscapist and interior designer. He has officially added fine arts to his repertoire when he discovered a passion for painting, resulting in his latest exhibition "Love-Camp-Explore-Dreams", on display at River City Bangkok (rivercitybangkok.com) until Feb 28. It consists of 150 pieces created over the last three years. His "outsider art" exudes a fauvist style, bursting with bold colours, delightful forms and humorous undercurrents through mixed mediums and techniques from watercolours to collage.
Before becoming an architect and interior designer, Bensley was a landscape architect and developed a strong bond with Mother Earth. Six years ago he bought a piece of land in the Cardamom Mountains rainforests in Cambodia, to save it from poaching and logging, and began working with the Wildlife Alliance, which patrols the forest and prosecutes illegal poachers and loggers. Their hard work is funded by Shinta Mani Wild, a unique luxury camp at the heart of the Cardamom forest. The luxury camp was built with the intention to teach guests the luxury of nature in an adventurous way, which Bensley described as "almost uncomfortable". This is why all sales revenue from his artworks will be donated to the foundation. Guru speaks to Bensley about his influences, his art and the exhibition.
