Luke Willis Thompson's 'Autoportrait' at Chisenhale Gallery presents Diamond Reynolds in silent 35mm film

Luke Willis Thompson's film 'Autoportrait' (2017) features Diamond Reynolds in two four-minute silent takes shot on 35mm Kodak Double-X black-and-white film. Reynolds became known for livestreaming the aftermath of police officer Geronimo Yanez shooting her boyfriend Philando Castile during a traffic stop. The work serves as a 'sister image' to witness videos that expose police brutality, with Thompson describing it as an act of care that reclaims agency over traumatic imagery. Reynolds collaborated on lighting, angle, and framing preferences, determining her own representation. The film references Andy Warhol's Screen Tests (1964–66), which featured celebrities like Susan Sontag and Edie Sedgwick, while critiquing the exclusion of non-white subjects from Warhol's series. Thompson previously explored similar themes in 'Cemetery of Uniforms and Liveries' (2016), portraying young men whose maternal ancestors were killed by police. 'Autoportrait' was created as a silent film because Reynolds' lawyers worried recorded speech could be used against her in court. One week before the exhibition opened, Yanez was acquitted, prompting Reynolds to issue a statement condemning the verdict. The exhibition runs at Chisenhale Gallery in London through August 27, 2017.