_edited.png)
Exhibition from july 7 to 21 2025
Opening on 7 july 2025
​
This photograph is called About to Leave (2023) It was made as a reflection of my father arriving in the UK in 1990. Arriving he proudly wore my Grandfather's suit, a privilege granted to the first generation of our family to leave Africa. 34 years later, he wears my grandfather's tie, days after making the decision to return back to a happier life at home.
​
The photograph is from a long-form photographic project documenting our special father-son bond. Honing in on my father’s experience as a first-generation immigrant in the UK, the project unravels themes of health, displacement and family care. The project bridges the family archive, with an ongoing documentation of his present life, and behaves as witness between his two homes - both Kenya and the UK. I explore the juxtaposition between his solitary life in the UK, compared to his extraordinarily different personality in Kenya, whilst feeding in the nuances of family dynamics and English life
This work was selected as the winning single image of the sixth edition of OpenWalls Spotlight, a collaboration with the British Journal of Photography, WePresent, and Galerie Huit Arles.
About the artiste :
Timon Benson (b. Manchester 1998) is a photographic artist who has built a reputation playing an integral role documenting the northern art scene, working alongside internationally recognised artists and institutions such as Blackhaine, Louise Giovanelli, Space Afrika, and Apollo Painting School. He works exclusively as the archive Curator for legendary club and interdisciplinary arts venue The White Hotel and his personal photographic work has been selected and endorsed by a number of leading arts and photography organisations