About me & my Work

Benjamin Skinner grew up in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. At the age of ten he got his first camera and began by taking photographs of plants and bugs. In his teenage years, he relocated to Victoria Falls and focused on environmental portraiture and wildlife. He felt his photographic skills were limited and so moved to South Africa where he studied photography formally in Pretoria.

Skinner then moved to the Middle East where he took up a commercial career in photography. He pursued news stories as a photojournalist, and also took pictures for fashion and advertising. After fleeing the country (details omitted), and a brief foray into agriculture and fashion he decided to commit his talents to photography as art. 

He has a fascination with combining the opulent and the grotesque. He contrasts the refined with the depraved. Nude figures, rough textures, fine details, dirty light, and layered expression, characterize his images. He often uses elaborately built sets and numerous models. His skills in construction, clothing design and production, allow him to involve himself throughout the production of the images which he often prints large, in excess of three meters.

Skinner has shown his work at the Johannesburg Art Fair, Scope Miami, and Scope New York with Galerie Galéa, France. Ben has also put on solo exhibitions at the Res Gallery (2014), The Daville Baillie Gallery (2017) & The Henry George Gallery (2019,2021) where he built the exhibition spaces, constructed installations, navigated performances and collaborated with others .