I Am Ben

I Am Ben is a fine art portrait created by Australian artist Troy Schooneman that reflects upon the resilience of the human spirit following childhood trauma caused by bullying and psychological abuse. Specifically, the portrait subject is a young man from the United Kingdom who was often beaten and bullied during his formative years in rural England simply because he was born with red hair and a pale complexion. Ben recounted to me how he was frequently taunted and, on occasion, even spat at while walking to and from school – all because he looked different from the other children. The scars of this childhood bullying ran deep and it took Ben many years before he was able to regain his s...View all