Ben Lokey
About Ben Lokey
Ben Lokey is a Salt Lake City-based photographer whose career spans several decades and encompasses a breadth of experience and innovation in the realm of visual art. Holding both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Utah, Lokey has established himself as an accomplished artist with a distinctive approach to photography. His work, deeply influenced by the intersection of art and reality, is celebrated for its ability to transform the raw and the real into evocative, expressive pieces that resonate with viewers on multiple levels.
Lokey's professional journey has seen him photographing for prestigious organizations such as Ballet West Co. and Pennsylvania Ballet Co., and his work has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Hollywood Reporter. A seasoned photographer of celebrities and performers, Lokey's lens has captured the likes of Bill Cosby, Olivia Newton-John, and Duran Duran, translating their public personas into intimate portraits that reveal as much as they conceal. His adeptness at capturing the ephemeral nature of performance and stardom is a testament to his skill and sensitivity as a photographer.
A pivotal moment in Lokey's career came in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated his home and destroyed much of his life's work. Rather than succumb to loss, Lokey turned this catastrophe into a catalyst for artistic rebirth. He began to experiment with salvaging damaged photographs, using digital technology and a variety of innovative techniques to create a new body of work. This transformative process, which blends traditional photographic methods with modern digital manipulation, has resulted in a series of images that blur the boundaries between photography, painting, and memory. His works are not mere records of reality but are richly layered, dream-like narratives that echo the complexity of human experience.
Beyond his photographic endeavors, Lokey is a multi-talented artist involved in various creative pursuits. A member of four professional entertainment unions, he has performed on Broadway, in film, and on television, and taught at numerous universities. His diverse artistic background informs his photographic work, imbuing it with a cinematic quality and a depth of storytelling that captivates audiences. Through his lens, Lokey invites viewers to see the world as he does, with an eye for the extraordinary in the everyday, and a profound appreciation for the power of images to convey truth and emotion.