Fauxktales – Will Bennett

Fauxktales is a play on words that incorporates elements of folktales and storytelling while also implying an imitation or desire to become something that it is not, or at least not yet. These paintings reference disparate moments, stories, and narratives that have never existed simultaneously.

Bennett sees these paintings as weavings of personal experiences, reflections of the landscapes we inhabit and exploring ideas of belonging and connections to an ancestral past that may feel distant or inaccessible. While drawing inspiration from the often fantastical and magical stories found in folktales and fairytales, the paintings resist the traditional expansive narratives and moral teachings commonly associated with European tales of the past.

Instead, the paintings serve as bridges between the history and moments of a European past while also acknowledging the cultural and physical landscapes of Aotearoa. Although the paintings yearn to become extended tales, they remain fixed in the frozen moments in which they are depicted. They do not expand narratively beyond their painted scenes, but they still strive to become something they’re not.