Chris Bennett stands proud beside a collection of memorabilia from his past projects. Photo by Jacob Willis, QNet News
By Jacob Willis
BELLEVILLE – If you’re a young aspiring dancer interested in learning conventional hip-hop – that robotic, meticulously choreographed NSync/Backstreet Boys stuff – you can head to any studio around the block.
But if you’re looking for a real unfettered expression of body and mind, Christopher Bennett says, his Art Works studio on 257 Front St. N. is the only place to be in all of Quinte. Whether it’s through breakdancing, painting or freestyle rapping, Bennett allows his students to be themselves in an embrace of traditional hip-hop culture.
The studio’s doors have been open three weeks now post-lockdown. Bennett is “looking to gain momentum” in welcoming his students back to the innovative atelier of paint and dance.
This dance floor is just one half of the Art Works creative space. Head right next door to find the painting studio. Photo by Jacob Willis, QNet News
A 40-year-old lifelong artist, Bennett is no stranger to this kind of idiosyncrasy. He was a trailblazer of the underground urban art scene in Belleville, having to forge his own path from a young age in order to pursue his passion.
“Your surroundings don’t dictate who you are,” he says. “There was no hip-hop when I started here in Belleville.”
“If something isn’t around you, you can become it.”
Bennett’s is a story of determination and willpower. There was nothing else he would allow himself to be besides a creator. Bennett hit the ground running at 14 when he got his first commission, to paint a mural for a kids’ play centre called Fun City, and he’s never looked back. Two decades later, he has carved out a foothold in the industry as a multifaceted artist specializing in murals, tattoo designs and window paintings.
In fact, you’re likely to have seen Bennett’s work firsthand if you’re familiar with the Belleville area. Last year he completed a mural on Dundas Street West to commemorate the frontline workers whose sacrifices have been integral to the fight against COVID.
But if you come across one of his projects, don’t attribute it to Chris Bennett.
“People will see my stuff and they’ll come and say, ‘Oh, that’s Christopher Bennett’s artwork!’ Nah, that’s Serna. Serna went from painting trains to United Way 50th anniversary murals.”
Under that pseudonym of Serna, Bennett found an alter ego of sorts to channel his inner artist.
The Art Works studio is the place for others to do the same. Bennett says he hopes to foster the next generation of revolutionary artists with a creative space to explore their identity through urban expression. It’s his way of giving back to a community that accepted his quirks with open arms.
“This studio doesn’t pay the rent. People wonder what I’m in business for. My artwork pays the bills; these classes are my way of saying thank you.”
An environment that prioritizes freedom of expression, Art Works is exactly the kind of forum Bennett was longing for growing up.
“It used to be frustrating looking around and not having many people to relate with. But I’m used to that. I was very shy as a kid. The only way to get attention and friends was through my art. My art is how people gravitate towards me – it gives me my confidence.”
Bennett is dedicating himself to helping others like him find that confidence in themselves. Art Works is a place for “those that are lost and voiceless” to simultaneously express their individuality while getting a sense that they truly belong.
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