Born and raised outside Minneapolis, artist Ben Van Beusekom creates avant-garde art with no limits in response to his own personal feelings and experiences. In addition to working as an art director by day, he is a fashion designer, couturier, and painter. His studio is his place of freedom, allowing Van Beusekom’s thoughts to wander and see where his next journey takes him. His works of art include paintings, dresses, and -- uniquely -- gas masks.

The first thing observers notice about his art is that it evokes a sense

of fantasy. Extending the boundaries of the Green Art Movement, Van

Beusekom tells stories of utter beauty using what most consider dreadful and discarded.

With a focus on color and texture, he constructs chic, lavish garments and masks using only the finest gemstones, beads, Swarovski crystals, sequins, and fabrics. Each is personally applied, hand-stitched, and intricately sewn with an extreme attention to detail. It is an intensive yet rewarding process

for Van Beusekom, and the results are elegant, unusual, and stunning. His fashion finds a bold life by pushing the limits of what conventionally is worn or carried.

To commemorate their 150th anniversary, Van Beusekom was commissionedby Bloomingdale’s to create a couture traveling exhibition using their iconic “Big Brown Bag” shopping bags. He was also selected by The Forbes Company/Taubman Centers, Inc., to create a 15-foot statue adorned with Swarovski crystals to commemorate the 15-year anniversary of The Mall at Millenia. In 2017, his couture fashions debuted on the runway for L’Oréal Professional’s fashion show in New York City. In 2020, he was approached by the Global Peace Film Festival to debut Bombshell: Masquerading Warfare – a collection of elegantly bejeweled gas masks that evoke a sense of fantasy in a time of pandemic chaos. He draws inspiration from the works of Alexander McQueen and currently resides in Orlando.