To accompany the opening of Benji Reid's Laugh At Gravity exhibition at October Gallery, T. S. Eliot Prize recipient Roger Robinson will be in conversation with the artist on Saturday 4th September 2021, from 3–4.30 pm.

Benji Reid considers himself a choreo-photolist, a term he coined to encapsulate his unique practice where theatricality, choreography, and photography meet in the image. His breathtaking photographs, comprised primarily of self-portraits in incredible, anti-gravitational poses with a medley of props, draws the audience into a different dimension. In the hyper-realities he presents, the subject is liberated by acts of the artist’s imagination. Whether exploring life as an outsider, issues surrounding mental health, or complexities of fatherhood, Reid makes the audience part of the discussion. Each perfectly poised portrait, set against vivid backdrops and adorned with fantastical objects, addresses the world we live in. Everyday objects like a paddle, a sparkler, or a stool transform and transport the subject into an alternative reality, which offers protection and liberation.

Reid was shortlisted for the Wellcome Photography Prize 2020 and received the award for the Mental Health (single image) category for his work Holding onto Daddy (2016).

Roger Robinson is a writer who has performed worldwide. He is the winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize 2019 and the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize 2020, and is a Royal Society of Literature fellow. He was chosen by Decibel as one of fifty writers who have influenced the Black-British writing canon. His latest collection, A Portable Paradise, was a New Statesman book of the year. He is an alumnus of The Complete Works and was shortlisted for the OCM Bocas Poetry Prize, the Oxford Brookes Poetry Prize, commended by the Forward Poetry Prize, and shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry 2020. He has received commissions from the National Trust, London Open House, the BBC, the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, INIVA, MK Gallery, and Theatre Royal Stratford East, where he also was associate artist. He is an experienced workshop leader and has toured extensively with the British Council. His workshops have been part of a shortlist for the Gulbenkian Prize for museums and galleries, and were also a part of the Barbican’s Webby Award-winning ‘Can I Have a Word?’. He is co-founder of both Spoke Lab and the international writing collective Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for King Midas Sound and has also recorded solo albums with Jahtari Records.

We're pleased to announce a Gallery Talk with Rafael Trelles will be held at October Gallery on 26th June 2021.

Trelles will discuss the work in the new exhibition 'Axis Mundi.' Many of the paintings were created during a difficult period of pandemic ‘lockdown’, in 2020, during which the artist, isolated in his urban studio, persevered with his work.

"Without doubt, ecological disruption and the growing environmental crises are implicitly present in my work. The inhabitants of these imaginary worlds are fully integrated with nature. As they metamorphose into plants and animals, they epitomise a symbolic expression of ecological ethics. I hope that cosmopolitan audiences in London, who value the cultural richness transmitted in the animistic beliefs of the ancient peoples of these islands and beyond, will identify with the vision of reality that I propose. If we read the runes correctly, we realise that we are not just in nature – we are nature, and to destroy nature is to destroy ourselves."
- Rafael Trelles

For the third gig in October Gallery’s socially-distanced live music series, LGBTQ and feminist pop duo CRISP&CLASSY will be taking the stage on Saturday, 10th October, 2020.

CRISP&CLASSY is a musical love affair, comprised of producer Kat Knix and singer-songwriter Plushy. The duo bring sexual liberation and self-acceptance to the UK electronic pop music scene through their graphic lyrics and 90s flavours. Their sound is a combination of sassy pop, soul and 90's diva-inspired melodies to hip hop beats.

Kat Knix made her first release - a remix of The Knife's 'Without You My Life Would Be Boring’ in May 2014 via Brille Records, before releasing her debut single on Hybris Records in 2016. Meanwhile, Plushy was hitting Chicago and New York radio with the bass line remix of his debut single ‘Darkness’ in 2015.

Following the release of their second single ‘Blessed’ on 15th May 2020 and a string of remixes on 14th August 2020, CRISP&CLASSY will perform at October Gallery on Saturday, 10th October, 2020.

October Gallery is pleased to announce a night of live music performed by Brazen Thieves. This event is part of a new series of socially-distanced gigs to support live music acts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daughters of respected 60s folk guitarist Clive Woolf, Laura and Rebecca Woolf have explored every musical avenue, from playing in rock bands to DJing dance music, before dedicating themselves to folk music. As a result of discovering previously unheard recordings, the sisters are dedicating their musical endeavours to bringing the sounds of their father’s songs to a new audience. Laura and Rebecca Woolf, together with Lucy Gaster, formed Brazen Thieves.

Their distinctive arrangements and a cappella offerings explore music from their London roots to New England’s Sacred Harp tradition, the latter of which stems from late 18th century sacred a cappella choral music.

Before the 2020 lockdown, Brazen Thieves were performing at folk clubs and festivals around the country such as Tooting Folk and The Goose Is Out, where they supported Jackie Oates.

Following the release of their latest EP on 23rd May 2020 via Bandcamp (featuring guest guitarist Mark Fraser and Stick in the Wheel’s Ian Carter), Brazen Thieves will be performing at October Gallery on Saturday, 3rd October, 2020 for an evening of folk merriment.