BIO
Benjamin Mistak is a photographer whose work centers on portraiture and cultural documentation. He uncovers and captures the beauty of seemingly everyday occurrences, people, and places in a style that he describes as 'magical realism' a term that describes a slightly stylized but otherwise untouched depiction of reality.
His work also explores the narrative potential of images thatʼs anchored by an intense curiosity in our ways of seeing and draws from a variety of influences as diverse as late 19th century freight train monikers to the dazzlingly modern work of Tauba Auerbach.
Raised in the Deep South of Little Rock, Arkansas Mistak was surrounded by a disparate mix of the cityʼs influences, from gang culture and hillbilly folklore to skateboarding and punk rock—all of which inform who he is today, what he does now, and his fascination with the scope and depth of the human experience.
Mistak resides with his wife and dog (Pnut Buddr) among the brownstones and bodegas of Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. He alternates his time working on assignment in New York City, across the US, or wherever in the world the job and inspiration take him.
Illustration by Thom Lessner
