Benji Reid - Freezing Time, Defying Gravity at Factory International

Photographer and visual artist Benji Reid creates a love letter to spirituality, defiance and his daughter with a digital exhibition of new photography at Factory International. Located in the venue’s Social space, Laugh At Gravity is Reid’s love note to spirituality.

Benji Reid said: “I am a choreo photolist, moving in the intersection between choreography, photography, and drama. Each image I create contains an inherent tension, even if it is hidden in the eyes—a story beneath the surface, quietly pulsing. My work is a conversation about visibility and vulnerability. Each photograph is both a document of the status quo and a projection into the future—a glimpse into a marginal, psycho-geographical space that exists beyond the frame.

“During the pandemic, I worked at a fever pitch, possessed by the need to create. I would wake at 4 AM, driven by images burning through my imagination. I could feel them floating somewhere in the ether, waiting to be caught and made real. I’ve always been haunted by the idea of weightlessness—the space between floating and falling, the sensation of walking on air, just shy of the ground. This obsession became the heart of Laugh at Gravity.

“Laugh at Gravity is my love note to spirituality, to the defiant nature of being a Black soul in spaces where I am often unseen or perceived as a threat. It is an offering to my brothers and sisters—a chance for us to be seen again through my fragile yet luminous body. Though ageing, it still carries love and light. This is my dance, my drama, my photography—all in conversation in that in-between space: the space between flying and falling, between public and private, between laughing and crying.

“At the heart of my work is my daughter, Luna—her presence anchoring and elevating the images. She is not merely a subject but a co-conspirator in this visual poetry. Through her, I explore legacy, love, and the delicate handoff between generations. Luna’s spirit infuses my work with tenderness and defiance, making the images more than portraits—they become conversations between father and daughter, between past and future.

“My images reference ancient spiritual gods and urban athletes, blending mythology with the contemporary, the sacred with the street. I strive to freeze time—not as a stillness, but as a suspension, where the viewer lingers in the uncertain space between moments.

“This is my art. The place where gravity loosens its grip and Black bodies, too often weighed down, are given permission to float.”