When I moved to London from South Africa, I came with nothing but a bag of clothes, and so every year for Christmas and my birthday my mother would send me a small piece of art – whatever could fit in an envelope. First, it was things that I already owned and had had to leave behind. Then, eight or nine years ago, she sent this drawing of my grandfather.
It was done in 1942 in Palestine, when he was over there for World War II. I don’t know much about the artist; I think he was in the RAF. My grandfather sent it back to my grandmother while he was there – a ‘love you’ postcard, if you will. It’s really special, the first artwork I had framed properly, and it’s been hung on the wall ever since.
We’ve got art on every wall in this apartment [the Battersea home that Bense shares with his partner Matt Martin]. We chose pieces for the living room that were of sentimental value and some we created ourselves. They make it feel like home. I’ve got this picture hanging in my favourite corner: a spot that you can see from every angle. I think having a family member on the wall keeps you in check. This sketch is really beautiful with its fine pencilwork: the type of art I’ve always been inspired by – black and white etchings and slightly more graphic works.
I don’t know all that much about my grandfather, as he died when I was quite young. It would be lovely to meet him now and have a conversation as an adult. He’s my mother’s father – she was a photographer and one of the stories she told me as a kid was about how my grandfather turned my grandmother’s pantry into a dark room for her when she was at college. He was very supportive of the arts and art plays a big role in what I create in my studio’s interiors. I’d hope he’d be proud of what we do. christianbense.com
