Perspectives Change: A Photo Essay

Originally from the Twin Cities suburb of Minnetonka, MN, Benjamin Fredrickson first made a name for himself while attending the Minnesota state-run arts high school. Drawing from queer artist elders that he admired from afar, including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Candy Darling, Fredrickson created unapologetically queer images of the Midwest gay experience at the dawn of the new millennium. Now based in NYC, Fredrickson presents this original photo essay. A reflection of a formative period in his own life, artwork, and relationship to HIV.

In high school, I had an art teacher who assigned us to make pencil drawings from photographs we had found in books or magazines. The one that I had chosen was a black and white picture depicting Andy Warhol standing next to Keith Haring. At the time, I was a big fan of Warhol movies, Edie Sedgwick, and the whole factory scene. I searched tirelessly for any images that I could find in books at the library. I was primarily drawn to the high-contrast black-and-white film stills that illustrate Warhol’s history. The picture of him and Keith Haring was different, it was a casual snapshot taken at a party or event. 

My drawing didn’t come out so great. I remember the teacher “helping” me make corrections to both their faces. I had removed them from the party scene and placed them into a fantasy landscape with smokestacks behind them. They both were sort of smiling. 

After studying photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I was a bit lost. I made some bad choices and was paying the consequences, which thwarted my plan to move to New York City after finishing school. Fortunately, I had tools to make photographs with, my trusty Pentax 67 and Polaroid 600SE. I chose to document myself and the queer community around me. Many of my portraits are of acquaintances, friends, hookups from the internet, and strangers. This was a very productive time for me creatively. Photographing and interacting with people to make a picture brought me joy, determination, and excitement around it for me. I spent my days working at a grocery store, eventually turning to sex work to make more money (and to move out of my parent’s basement). In the midst of all of this, I seroconverted. Perspectives change when you get the news. It was a confusing and scary time for me. At that point, I knew I wanted to get out of town and move to New York City. The pictures shared here were made during that time between 2005 and 2010. 

Many things that I was running away from in Minneapolis followed me to New York City. I didn’t figure that out until later, but I’m so glad I did! I guess I’m a late bloomer in that way. In New York City, I discovered the organization Visual AIDS. With their encouragement and resources, I was able to participate in group shows and even create my own Polaroid Pop-Up photo studios at La MaMa Galleria and Folsom Street East Fair in New York City. Things began to blossom in new ways. Discovering and embracing acceptance also helped me a lot, creatively and personally. 

I am grateful for all of the lessons that expressing myself through photography has given me. It’s a blessing to be able to share my work and my story with other people. ▪︎

This article is presented as part of the series Because AIDS Isn’t Over, a collaboration between the Walker Art Center and Visual AIDS.

Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Benjamin Fredrickson’s work expands upon the tradition of portraiture created with analog cameras by documenting the queer fetish communities that he is a part of. His work aims to contribute to conversations around breaking down stigmas attached to HIV, sex work, and fetish communities.

Solo shows of Fredrickson’s work have taken place at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in New York City and NAD Gallery in Brooklyn. The artist’s work has also been shown in group shows, including at Benrubi Gallery in New York City; Fierman Gallery in New York City; Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York City; Museum of Arts and Design in New York City; La Mama Galleria in New York City; Corcoran School of the Arts & Design in Washington, DC and Yale School of Art in New Haven, CT, among others. Fredrickson’s work has been published in the books New Queer Photography by Kehrer Verlag in 2021 and Wedgies by Baron in 2024 and covered in Dazed, i:D, OUT, and The New Yorker. Fredrickson lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.