Ben Reid

Ōtautahi Christchurch

Ben Reid is a contemporary printmaker based in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

He is recognised for a technically accomplished and conceptually layered practice that draws on a range of printmaking techniques to produce works of complexity, material richness and personal resonance. Reid often combines multiple processes to build intricate, tactile surfaces that reflect the layered narratives he explores.

Reid graduated from Ara School of Art and Design in 2005, emerging from a lineage of prominent printmakers associated with the institution. Following his studies, he worked as assistant printmaker to Marian Maguire, whose nationally and internationally recognised lithographs and etchings provided an important foundation for his technical and conceptual development. Reid is now represented by galleries throughout Aotearoa. His work is held in the permanent collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. He was awarded the NZ Painting and Printmaking Award in 2025 and was runner-up in 2026.

His practice continues to evolve in scope and ambition.

Reid’s prints function as vessels for narrative, memory and intent. Through carefully selected subjects drawn from natural history and lived experience, he constructs visual stories that move between the personal and the collective.

Alongside this introspective thread, his practice engages with political and environmental concerns. Situated within a post-colonial context, his work questions inherited narratives and systems of value, adopting a revisionist approach to Western cultural assumptions. In doing so, Reid aligns with a generation of contemporary artists re-examining cultural identity and ecological responsibility.