I can’t remember where I first encountered Ben Naz, he’s shared our gallery walls at Cultivate on numerous occasions over the past three years, we’ve shared walls in other places, counted him as a friend as well as a fellow artist for quite some time now. Always delighted to share space with Ben, with his energy, his infectious enthusiasm and his unbelievable attitude when it comes to living every second of his life. Every single time Ben, and his partner Carol, come in to Cultivate to deliver art or to check out the work of someone else, they come in with the biggest of defiant smiles, Ben comes in and lights up the place with his inspiring attitude and his love for creating, for painting, for living.

For as long as I can remember Ben has been battle the most ridiculous onslaught of life-threatening cancer, he’s taken it all head on, he’s always unbelievably brilliant.  Ben lives to paint, he seems to paint more than anyone I know, and this week he celebrates life and painting and just getting out there and doing it with a solo show at the Graffik Gallery over in Portobello Road, West London..  Ben is an inspiration, it is a pleasure to know the man (Sean Worrall)

Ben Naz‘s solo show One Last Ride opens this Thursday evening, 18th September at Graffik Gallery, 284 Portobello Road, London W10

“Expression is a basic synonym for art, and that there is plenty of in Ben Naz’s work and it could not be more clearer in the body of work which Ben has produced for his upcoming solo show ‘One Last Ride’ at Graffik Gallery, Portobello Road. With a mixed heritage (France & Philippines) Ben moved back to the Philippines in the early 1980s as a young boy, this was at a time when the country was in a most tumultuous state. Being artistically inclined meant that it was only natural for Ben to express his socio-political angst through his art. It was inevitable that Ben would choose a peripheral form of art which was going to not only challenge the world around him in its statements but also push the boundaries in terms in what would be accepted as ‘art’ in the unbound realm of art. Therefore ‘street art’ has always been Ben’s realm and rule it he does indeed. From Los Angeles to the Far East Ben Naz is recognised as a one of the foremost characters in the street art world”.  Oliver Cox, Director & Curator of Graffik Gallery, is proud to present to you ‘One Last Ride’ a solo show by Ben Naz.