Studio 88 Artist Residency is delighted to welcome Ben Robinson back to our creative home in Chiang Mai this December 2025. Ben’s return marks a quiet yet meaningful continuation of his artistic journey—one rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and thoughtful engagement with place, people, and process.
Originally from southern Indiana, USA, Ben studied photography at Indiana University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) with a minor in Art History in 2016. He currently lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand, where he balances his artistic practice with his role as an art teacher, nurturing visual literacy and critical thinking through art.
Ben’s work spans a wide range of concepts, approached through an honest and deeply personal lens. His photographic practice is less about perfection and more about presence—embracing imperfection as a way to raise important social and cultural questions. His images often reflect moments of transition, quiet observation, and the poetry found in everyday encounters.
During this visit, Ben returned to Studio 88 to enjoy our darkroom facilities, exploring the possibility of further developing and working with film negatives. His residency followed a motorcycle journey through the northern landscapes of Thailand, undertaken with friends before he made a reflective stop in Chiang Mai. The journey itself became part of the work—shaping not only the images, but also the mindset behind them.
For this project, Ben experimented with a toy camera, intentionally—or perhaps accidentally—embracing technical limitations. As he shared with us:
“I was using a toy camera, plus I think I underdeveloped the film, so the images aren’t great. But this one of a monk on the ferry is ok.”
The photograph, taken during the motorbike trip in northern Thailand, captures a fleeting yet resonant moment—humble, quiet, and unpolished, much like the journey itself.
A highlight of Ben’s return was a meaningful exchange with Sornsak Sakbodin, a respected photographer based in Chiang Mai. Sornsak is a former advertising photographer at Sorn’s Studio in San Francisco, USA (1972–1988), the Founder of the Black and White Photographic Society of Thailand (BWThai), and currently the host of Sorn’s Café and Restaurant in Doi Saket. Their conversation bridged generations of photographic practice, touching on analog processes, lived experience, and the enduring relevance of black-and-white photography in a rapidly changing world.
Ben Robinson’s return to Studio 88 is a reminder of what residencies can be: not always about producing finished works, but about slowing down, reconnecting with process, and allowing dialogue—between artists, places, and ideas—to unfold naturally. We are grateful to welcome him back and look forward to seeing how these moments continue to shape his evolving practice.
It was our pleasure have Ben with us a few times: Ben’s residency in July 2023, following with Tawan Lapla (Sunset) collaborative exhibition in 2023 and the “Dragon Eco Print Art Exhibition: Teak Leaf Prints,” collaborative exhibition during Chiang Mai Design Week in 2024.
More about Ben Robinson on his instagram
Studio 88 accepts applications on an ongoing basis. Check out our residency program and apply now.
Studio 88 Artist Residency 