LGBTQ+ news: Artist Owen Bennett on queerness, care, and creative freedom
‘Queer existence is queer rebellion. Photographing and documenting queer life is a political act’, says artist Owen Bennett.
I sat down with Manchester-born, London-based artist Owen Bennett, whose photography explores queerness, care, and vulnerability.
Drawing on his experiences as a carer and a member of the queer community, the 26-year-old’s work delves into connection, identity, and the politics of visibility.
In this Q&A, we go through Owen’s lens as he shares his journey into photography, his creative process, and the importance of representation in art.
Question: In three words, how would you describe yourself?
Owen: “Introvert, extrovert, observant.”
Q: When did photography first enter your life?
O: “My family had photography as a hobby, same as our granddad, so we always had cameras around. I was able to run around and steal my dad's camera and then use it, and then they realised how much I enjoyed doing it, and they bought me my own. I've just been snapping ever since.”
Q: How do you incorporate queerness into your photography?
O: “Queerness in my work comes from personal experience. When I started, taking pictures of friends was enough. Now, photographing friends in London, most of whom are queer, is the same. Queer existence is queer rebellion. Photographing and documenting queer life is a political act.”
Q: Why is it important to make work about disabled people?
O: “Making work about disabled people like my younger brother, is important as there is very little representation out there. It's only just getting into children’s media, never mind adult media. We’re starting to accept these narratives, but society hasn’t changed properly yet.”
Q: What advice would you give someone trying to capture queer identity through art?
O: “Experiment. The less you think, the better. The more you make, the more you see what relates to you. If it moves you, it’s more likely to move someone else. Explore anything about yourself. There are no wrong ideas.”
Q: Which piece are you most proud of? And why?
O: “This is probably my favourite image that I have made. It was attempting to both explore and also present the relationship between my younger brother and his main carer, was the first piece which presented my brother to a larger audience and that comes with a certain level of anxiety in its vulnerability.
“The cyanotype process also used I chose as I like to view these as windows into relationships and blueprints for new ways of being and doing, using care as the foundation for the relationship, and of course that can be transposed onto any relationship.”
Q: Outside of photography, what makes you feel like yourself?
O: “I love a long walk with conversation. On a free day, I’ll walk and think about projects, then talk through ideas with friends. Spending a day out of the house in nature is grounding. Hampstead Heath is my friend.”
Q: What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
O: “I hope they resonate with something. People take art how they want, but all artists make work to connect or share something. If someone picks up what I’m putting down, that makes me happy.”
You can see Owen’s work at @__owen__bennett__/ on Instagram - and in case you haven’t heard about it yet, why not sign up for our free newsletter rounding up the week’s essential LGBTQIA+ reading.
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