Photographer and performer Benji Reid’s Find Your Eyes comes to London’s new cultural heart in the Olympic Park at Sadler’s Wells East from Wednesday 5 – Saturday 7 June.
Benji Reid, a self-described choreo-photolist, blends photography, choreography, and theatre to craft striking, surreal images. His innovative practice merges theatricality and movement in single or sequential photographs, creating hyper-realities and sparking curiosity-driven conversations. Through his work, Reid inspires his generation to explore uncharted creative paths.
The hit show he brings to Sadler’s Wells East, Find Your Eyes, was originally commissioned as part of Manchester International Festival 2023, before touring the world and returning to the city in May. It’s a look through the keyhole of Benji’s photography studio as he embarks audiences on an emotional rollercoaster where conflict meets beauty and opens up on some of the most moving episodes of his life. The show refers to abortion, medical emergencies, suicide, child neglect and addiction.
Drawing from the breadth of his life experiences, Reid explores vulnerability, tragedy and triumph through his photographer’s lens. He mixes Afro-futurist imagery with hard-hitting tales from his life and adventures, that unfold on the stage-turned-studio before the audience’s very eyes.
Find Your Eyes taps into Reid’s work both as an award-winning photographer and hip-hop theatre pioneer – bringing dancers and photography into the fold to create images in real time.
Benji Reid is an award-winning artist, a visionary creative director, photographer and performer. He has produced and performed over thirty works for international cultural institutions led by The National Theatre, Birmingham Rep, PS122 (New York) and Sydney Opera House.
Merging his performance success with photography, Reid began producing images in 2012. His work was exhibited as part of Get Up, Stand Up Now at Somerset House in June 2019. His works have also been shown in MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts), New York, as part of the 2019 exhibition Styles of Resistance: From the Corner to the Catwalk. Reid’s first solo show A Thousand Words was exhibited at Contact Theatre, Manchester in 2016.
Find Your Eyes will be at Sadler’s Wells East Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 June. Tickets are on sale now from £15 at www.sadlerswells.com
