Benji Reid on Duality
By Sara Beck
At the center of Benji Reid’s theatrical, visually-stunning photography is the concept of duality. He aims to shed light on the Black British experience with work that simultaneously feels surreal and grounded firmly in reality. Reid’s reality, however, is one in which issues such as mental health, fatherhood, and self-actualization can be seen in their entirety right before our eyes, thereby becoming less nebulous.
With work he describes as inherently political, Reid hones in on the fragility and vulnerability of Black men, the very notions of which are largely overlooked or even denied in the mainstream today. He has a powerful desire to shift this narrative by countering it with self-portraits and other still photographs that run the gamut of complex emotions, from extreme sensitivity to meditative calm to bottled anger and despair. He accomplishes this by using the body in space as a means of radical self-expression, an idea that is as essential to dance as it is to photography. And Reid operates with full awareness of this connection — he coined the term “Choreo-Photolist” to describe his practice of fusing the tenets of photography, choreography, and theatricality into single and singular images.
Nor can the tenets of surrealism be detached from Reid’s work, particularly the underlying belief that the world as we may think we know it may not be the most accurate representation of what is true. Upon first glance, Reid’s self-portraits seem to exist in a fantasy world. His own body defies gravity amidst an array of props, some of which feel utterly whimsical and nonsensical — an oar morphs into a witch’s broomstick, a sparkler becomes a magic wand. However, viewers are enticed by the fantastical visuals to delve deeper into what each object, each body position, might reveal about the experience that the artist strives to convey. In a sense, it is this whimsical, theatrical, larger-than-life quality which makes troublesome realities easier to understand. Rather than remaining trapped in a latent position, complicated issues are pushed to the forefront of Reid’s images, where they take on seemingly impossible forms. Viewing itself then turns into a joyous experience, as each image manages to be lighthearted and deeply political all at once, yet another duality that exists at the core of each shot.
Other purposes that this element of surrealism serves include the possibilities of escape and protection within this alternate reality. In a world that is often unsafe, particularly for Black men, Reid’s photographs pose a more just, inviting, and warm universe, in which solace can be taken and freedom can be found.
