Daniel Poensgen Photography

In his latest show, Benjamin Heller invites us to enter a poetic space of echo and convergence. As a photographer, sculptor, and performer, movement is key in this body of work, that is punctuated by self portraits selected from the series "The Long Walk: Analog Narratives". This series features pieces collected over an extended period of time spent traveling. It is a window to the interior landscapes he seeks to find reflected in the world, to contain a sense of this intimate vastness. All of the images can be viewed as variations on a self-portrait. The places of intimacy and sense of vastness contained in the photographs can convey a sense of transport that enhances the viewer's visual experience. The "echoes" we find in the show reside in multiplicities of human and physical forms, rolling natural curves, and animals in flight; all intended to provide a resonance with the contours of earth, water, and wind. The result is an array of images captivating in themselves, but also given new meaning in the context of Robin Rice's skillful curatorial arrangement. Her intuitive placement creates a graphic narrative for the viewer to follow and decipher, encouraged by the convergence of the poetic titles of the works. Traces of poetry, sculpture, the lines of the body, lived experience are also evoked in Heller's photographs, in movement and action. He also finds inspiration in photographer Duane Michals' framing of expressive narratives, and in Sally Mann's felt sense of powerful physical presence. Photographer Miranda Penn Turin, in reviewing the exhibition, said "I can almost hear a soundtrack, and it's the sound of wind". The invitational image is entitled "Fall," a graceful figure, suspended in a glowing arc, light streaming upwards, eyes closed in rapture. This light sits in contrast to the infinite shadow of the black background, conjuring a certain atmosphere. Heller believes that it is shadows that allow the viewer to reside in the experience – this image does just that. These imagined environments speak to our converging lives and the echoed moments we experience, embodying for each viewer, just what Benjamin Heller connects with while photographing. Another view of self portraiture at the front sign in desk, is an image reading, "and the soul wanted to move," between the keys of a typewriter. This show is a mirror of a desire to move. The black & white images capture simultaneously this movement and stillness, asking us to pause between the natural forces that rise and fall. Heller employs multiple-exposure and a fixed 4x5...

Silver Gelatin Print Signed & Numbered in blue pencil verso Along with copy right stamps and the negative number written in regular pencil Sheet size: 15.8 x 12 Image size: 14.63 x...

This black-and-white photo captures jazz legend Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet during a performance in Berlin in 1965. Armstrong, with intense focus, holds the trumpet close to ...

American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) As an authorized Getty ...

Brigitte Bardot with cigarette in hand by photographer Michael Ochs, originally taken in 1962. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) As an authorized Getty Images Gallery...

Argentinian race car driver Juan Fangio (1911 - 1995) in his Mercedes at Le Mans, June 1955. The race saw the death of Mercedes team mate Pierre Levegh and 80 spectators. Original Pu...

Silver Gelatin Print Signed & Numbered in blue pencil verso Along with copy right stamps and the negative number written in regular pencil Sheet size: 15.8 x 12 Image size: 14 x 9....

American Heavyweight boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), training in his gym, 21st May 1965. (Photo by Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) As an authorized Getty ...

Silver Gelatin Print Signed & Numbered in blue pencil verso Along with copy right stamps and the negative number written in regular pencil Sheet size: 15.8" x 12" Image size: 14....

1969: French singer, Francoise Hardy sitting on a motorbike. (Photo by Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images) As an authorized Getty Images Gallery partn...

Portrait of Pierre Cardin. Signed and stamped on back (see photo) The artist’s dedication is on the bottom right. Yoshi Takata was an artist, born in 1916 and died in Paris in 2009...

Brigitte Bardot with cigarette in hand by photographer Michael Ochs, originally taken in 1962. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) As an authorized Getty Images Gallery...