Benjamin’s practice explores memory, identity, and the lingering presence of the self through reimagined family photographs and historical Black archives. Experimentation has been the foundation of his work, as he is drawn to what remains after an image fades, the traces, feelings, and silences that continue to shape us. In his paintings, the Black body is not a subject for visibility, but a form of divine presence existing beyond the gaze.
Growing up in Ghana, he experienced the Black body as ordinary and sacred, unburdened by the need to perform. In America, that understanding shifts. Through painting, he examines the weight of visibility and seeks moments of rest. Using acrylic and synthetic surfaces, he layers, erases, and leaves spaces unpainted, gestures that allow the figure to rest, fade, breathe, and dissolve into space, granting it freedom beyond performance. Each figure resonates as memory, vibration, and presence between matter and spirit.
“To say the least, the resources FSU provides for the development of our practices are something I really appreciate. I enjoy experimenting, and FSU enjoys supporting that experimentation, that’s the bond.”
