212 - Benjamin Rasmussen

Benjamin Rasmussen is a Faroese/American photographer living in Denver, Colorado.

After growing up in the Philippines and studying photography at Ateneo de Manila University, he moved to the United States to explore contemporary American identity. His practice is research and photography based and centers on the intersection of law, history and sociology.

Benjamin works for magazines including Time, The New Yorker and The Atlantic. He is also the founder of Pattern, an exhibition and educational space in Denver, Colorado that works to spark dialogue and acts as a meeting place for the art and documentary worlds.  

Benjamin’s debut photobook, The Good Citizen, which explores how American society came to be what it is today, was published last year by GOST books.

In episode 212, Benjamin discusses, among other things:

• His origin story growing up in the Philipines and then moving to the USA for college
• Growing up amidst his family’s deeply religious roots
• By The Olive Trees project
• Faroese hunting pilot whales - story
• Faroe islands being too picturesque
• The dark side of his American family
• The origins of The Good Citizen project
• The five chapter structure of the book
• Book banning in the USA
• Trump
• His optimism re. photojournalism
• The implications of AI

Referenced:

• Michael Brown
• Dred Scott
• Stuart Smith
• Frank H Wu
• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Juan Fuentes

“I’ve survived largely off editiorial commissions for the past 10-15 years. It’s been really interesting.You have a lot more complex voices who are involved even in my short history of it. The reality is that in my entire career rates haven’t changed. It’s getting increasingly difficult to survive financially, but I think in terms of the conversations that are happening it’s gotten so much more interesting. ”

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