Provocative Photographer

Nir Arieli’s “living sculptures” of dancers

Images: Daniel Cooney Fine Art, NYC

BY: PROVOKR Staff

“Odd and original movement inspires me,” says photographer Nir Arieli whose passion for capturing images of professional dancers continues with his exhibit, Flocks, at the Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery in Manhattan through June 4. In his latest photographs, 30-year-old Arieli—who was born in Israel and currently lives in New York—had members of various troupes (including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Ballet Hispanico) create living sculptures with their bodies. “It’s extremely complicated physically—the dancers were working hard despite the peaceful feel of the images,” says Arieli of the shoots. “I try to choreograph them with words instead of movements. I use adjectives and describe images I have in my head. I also make rules and guidelines. I’ll say things like ‘release the movement from your body,’ ‘let your body parts intertwine,’ ‘let your head fall back,’ ‘don’t allow any spaces to form between you.’” The result is a collection of images that are both powerful and seductive. “The most interesting part about this project was to watch how each company’s own unique physical way of communication came to the surface,” says the artist. “This is why every picture is different, and yet there is something fundamental that connects them all together.”