LE MONSTR
Originally from Annecy (France), Benjamin Tran is a Franco-Canadian artist, also known as Le Monstr or as @crayonpapier on Instagram. His production includes paintings, murals, drawings, and sculptures. Monstr graduated in Graphic Design from the Lafontaine School and has perfected his style during his year at the Condé School in Paris. In 2012, Benjamin moved to Montreal where he has been living and working ever since.
"My work is characterized by simple lines composing black and white illustrations. My characters evolve in scenes inspired by diverse topics ranging from subculture to scientific popularization. By representing them suspended in space and completely absorbed by their activities, I wish to illustrate a state in which they get caught up in a kind of deceleration, abandoning themselves completely in an activity that requires taking time.
The notion of “time” is very important in my work: the actions of my characters are not restrained by time, quite the opposite of the usual effect of time on our daily life. The represented activity settled in the time without being affected by it. Thus, if we reach that state, we get suspended in a sort of slowdown modeled on the rhythm of the planets. Without speed and gravity, we can get free of the time."