The Winter Olympics have ended, but the U.S. is still competing against the world in artistic endeavors.The World Photographic Cup pits Team USA against the best photographers from 35 countries, and Carmel-based resident and business owner Roben Bellomo has been chosen to be a part of the American team for the third time in five years.

 “It’s one of the highest honors to represent the country,” Bellomo said from his BEHN Gallery at 2149 Glebe St. in the Village of WestClay, which he co-owns with partner Jim Hamel. “I also love how it shows unity,” he said of the international competition. “Anything to show unity now is important because we have a lot of things pulling us apart.” 

Bellomo’s entry in the commercial category is a light painting of a motorcycle. Because the project required total darkness, he did the work in the middle of the night using a light wand to illuminate different parts of the machine. It was painstaking work. Bellomo took 130 images and ended up using 40, which he combined in Photoshop to make the final product.

“As artists, we’re proud of all the time we put into developing the art,” he said. “People forget how much is involved in the creative process. People don’t see all the work that goes into it.”

The World Photographic Cup began in 2013 as a cooperative effort between The Federation of European Photographers and Professional Photographers of America. It is contested in six categories: commercial, illustration and digital art, nature, portrait, reportage/photojournalism and wedding. The winners will be announced in Rome in early May.

The public can see the work of Team USA at the BEHN Gallery through the end of March. Bellomo said this is the first time the finalists for the World Photographic Cup have been presented in a gallery open to the public.

Bellomo had to hustle to make the exhibition happen. The team was announced in December 2021, and he began acquiring prints from the various artists of their winning work shortly before Christmas. Everyone responded positively, he said.

“I’ve been appreciative and humbled by everybody’s willingness to do this,” Bellomo said. “It feels like it’s important. It’s impactful.”

Bellomo opened his initial business, Bellomo Studios, in 2014. He and Hamel opened BEHN Gallery during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.

“People get excited about the process,” Bellomo said. “I realized how much people need to be part of that and learn about it. I decided I wanted to have a small gallery space in my studio.”

Bellomo added that when he works in the studio, the process is client-driven, and when he is in the gallery, it’s artist-driven.

Carmel residents Misty and Steve Arterburn commissioned Bellomo to create a portrait of their daughter, Amelia, to commemorate a daddy-daughter dance at their church late last year.

“When our 12-year-old daughter finally saw the portrait Roben produced for her, she had a most profound reaction,” Misty said. “At a time when most middle schoolers are experiencing social awkwardness and ‘tween’ challenges, Amelia was able to see herself from another’s lens and affirm, ‘I’m beautiful.’ As her parents, we gratefully ask ourselves, ‘What is that worth?’”

Misty appreciated Bellomo’s work after the shoot as well when he came back with 100 pictures of Amelia, an emotion she describes as overwhelming.

“He helps the client narrow down the selections based on the mission of the project. He is capable of keeping the client on track,” she said.

Learn more at behngallery.com.

Roben Bellomo and his family have immersed themselves in the Village of WestClay and love living in Carmel. The family relocated to Central Indiana from San Diego in 2013.

“I love the community aspect,” Bellomo said. “I’ve not lived in a place so welcoming to families.”

It’s a return to the Midwest for Bellomo and Adrienne, his wife who is a Michigan native. The couple has two children, a daughter Neva, 10, and son, Bodhi, 7.

Bellomo opened BEHN Gallery in 2020.

“People don’t think twice about spending $100 for a so-so meal or $8,000 for a couch, but they look at artwork like it should be found at a discount. We’re trying to offer the experience that allows them to change their thinking,” Bellomo said. “We’re helping people build connections to experiences, to themselves and the people and places around them.”

The artist has Midwest roots, too. He graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette with degrees in math and science and then taught 6th through 12th grade for 10 years. Photography was a hobby, but that changed upon the family’s arrival in Carmel.

“When we moved here,” he said, “I decided this is my career.”

Bellomo is passionate about his work and is quick to give credit to his family and support team for his success. Yet his demeanor is relaxed, inviting and easy-going.

The vibe carries over to the gallery, too.

“Our intention is for people to come in and be comfortable,” he said. “We want to offer them a positive experience with the artwork.”

‘One of the highest honors’ Work by co-owner of Carmel’s BEHN Gallery selected for World Photographic Cup’ by Les Morris (March 15th, 2022, ‘The Current in Carmel’ Newspaper)

Carmel photographer Roben Bellomo didn’t want a traditional art gallery.

Bellomo and Dallas-based photographer Jim Hamel wanted a more creative approach to their gallery, providing experiences through the art.

“We wanted a place where everybody could engage in some way, shape or form,” Bellomo said. “We are doing quarterly exhibits of limited pieces. The opening collection is part of a perspective series, which plays on the way we all experience the world in different ways. We were on a trip to Ireland last year for two weeks. We went to all the same places and at all the same time. What we were trying to do was show how differently we saw what we saw and how differently we captured it. Maybe we should take more time talking and listening to how other people experience the world instead of thinking it’s all the same.”

BEHN Gallery, 2149 Glebe St., Suite 100, opened late last month in the Village of West Clay in Carmel.

The gallery’s name is derived from the initials of the names for Bellomo and his wife Adrienne’s children, Neva and Bodhi, and Hamel and his wife Susan’s children, Elizabeth and Hannah.

Although Ireland was the first exhibit theme, Bellomo said there will be different artwork to display the creativity of both co-owners.

Bellomo and his wife opened BELLOMO Studios in 2014, centering on fine Portraiture, small business branding imagery and commission pieces.

“We’ve been growing since then,” he said. “I was looking for an outlet for my own creativity,” Bellomo said. “The idea of BEHN Gallery was born to start displaying work.”

In addition to art, the pair plans to offer art education, multi-sensory events, networking opportunities, overseas excursions and more. Plans are under way for photography trips to France and Ireland in 2022, hence the selection of entertainment for the grand opening event.

Bellomo plans some workshops.

“I taught school for 10 years, so I plan to bring workshops here that revolve around the studio business. It could be for business on branding, it could be about portrait work or an educational thing about how to use a camera,” he said. “It could be enrichment. Maybe I’ll do a short kids’ program. I’m into partnering with other business. Our goal is to bring art in the community and allow people to engage with it.”

Bellomo said the free introductory workshops will provide an opportunity to learn about the business. The workshops are presented in two different times spots on the BELLOMO Studio’s four tiers, with the gallery being the fourth tier. The sessions are 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Tier 1 is Fine Portraiture, Oct. 7; Tier 2 is Business and Personal Branding, Oct. 14; Tier 3 is Commissioned Fine Artwork, Oct. 21; and Tier 4 is BEHN Gallery, Oct. 28.

“The artwork in the gallery will rotate,” Hamel said. “We don’t intend to put up our greatest hits and leave them there, but rather create an evolving collection of limited-edition pieces. Our goal is to introduce art into people’s lives in a way that helps them feel connected and creatively energized.”

‘Carmel Photographer opens BEHN Gallery in Carmel’ by Mark Ambrogi (October 5th, 2022, ‘The Current in Carmel’ Newspaper)