About Andrew Beckham
I view my practice as a mountaineer as a reflection of my practice as a visual artist. Both require creative problem solving while being in a state of flow; both honor mystery and awe as visceral, foundational experiences; and both engender gratitude. It is on the steep edges of the alpine world that the sublime and the catastrophic reside increasingly close to one another at the dawn of the Anthropocene. Beauty and loss fill the same space, often at the same time. Colorado's few remaining glaciers grow smaller with every passing year, even as Western wildfires become more frequent and destructive. My work tries to navigate this reality, seeking the wonder still present in a damaged world.
About The Collection
It's an honor to be in the company of so many of the exceptional artists that make up the Benson Collection. While I am a photographer who also maintains a works-on-paper practice, I have always found my influences across a wide range of disciplines, from literature to poetry to painting. In particular, the work of both Karen Kitchel and David Sprick have been helpful to me over the years, and I am delighted to share the walls with them for this project. It is also humbling to have my work alongside Denver photographer, visionary, and activist Mark Sink. These artists, and so many others in the collection, are engaged with work about the Mountain West that is entirely contemporary, timely, and powerful.