Daniel Holfeld grew up in Ireland and graduated with a BA [Hons] degree in photography from Dublin’s Institute of Technology in 2008.
Holfeld’s distinctive visual language assembles architectural surfaces he encounters as painterly abstractions. Through his lens and borrowing from the clean, vivid clarity of modernist painting, Holfeld transforms his studies into striking compositions of colour and geometric form. Driven by a pursuit of an ‘emotional architecture.’ A belief that emotion is a language the brain speaks. It is nonverbal, sensory and fundamental to our interpretation of reality. It is the language of memory, imagery and meaning. We cannot discuss the meaning of our surroundings without discussing emotion.
As a result his work is a reflection of his own intuitive response to the spaces he encounters. What emerges from this process is both an architectural portrait and also a new distilled language, a reconsidered perspective on details which can be often overlooked when taking in the magnitude of modernist structures. The sensory stimulation Holfeld feels while working usually sends him on a semiotic journey of colour, light, texture and geometry. The resulting images are a reflection of the kinetic aspects of emotions that express themselves within his body as he enters in to dialogue with the structure through his lens. It is this raw material of human consciousness and experience, which Holfeld shares in his images.
Holfeld has always gravitated towards large open spaces, developing a passion and admiration of the complex language of architecture. From 2016 onwards Holfeld has focused exclusively on his fine art practice and spent two years documenting Arabic architecture across Morocco, which he debuted in 2018, when luxury department store Brown Thomas, owned by the Selfridges group, invited him to exhibit his work in their Dublin flagship store. The Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce has acquired editions from this series.
For his work, Holfeld received an honourable mention from the International Photography Awards in 2019 and was hand selected by Saatchi curators to exhibit in London’s The Other Art Fair in 2018.
Earlier in 2020 Holfeld debuted his new series The Space Between in the Royal Institute of Architecture of Ireland and later returned to London to show the series in the Royal Institute of British Architects. RIBA acquired editions from this series in to their permanent and prestigious Robert Elwall photography collection.
In 2022 Holfeld launched his series Conveying Space at the Museum of Lliterature of Ireland, UCD Naughton Joyce Centre on St Stephen’s Green. For this work Holfeld was commissioned by UCD to respond and interpret the iconic architecture found on campus to commemorate Belfield 50. The series has received awards from the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Awards, The International Photography Awards, Monovisions Black and White Photography Awards and the Budapest International Foto Awards.
Bio & Career
Now based in Ireland, Holfeld has worked globally as a fashion photographer for more than a decade, retaining his high-end quality and eye for detail in his fine art photography. His work has appeared in Tatler, The Sunday Times STYLE Magazine and GQ while he has worked for luxury clients such as Chanel.
Holfeld has always gravitated towards large open spaces, developing a passion and admiration of the complex language of architecture. From 2016 onwards Holfeld has focused exclusively on his fine art practice and spent two years documenting Arabic architecture across Morocco, which he debuted in 2018, when luxury department store Brown Thomas, owned by the Selfridges group, invited him to exhibit his work in their Dublin flagship store. The Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce has acquired editions from this series. 1
Awards and honours
- 2022, Budapest International Foto Awards, Fine Art/Architecture – Silver, Budapest, Hungary.
- 2022, PX3 Prix de la Photographie de Paris, Fine Art/Architecture – Gold, Paris, France.
- 2021, Budapest International Photography Awards, Fine Art-Abstract, Gold, Budapest, Hungary.
- 2021, Budapest International Photography Awards, Fine Art, Second Place Win, Budapest, Hungary.
- 2021, International Photography Awards, Abstract Architecture, Honourable Mention
- 2021, PX3 Prix de la Photographie de Paris, Architecture/Buildings – Silver, Paris, France
- 2021, PX3 Prix de la Photographie de Paris, Fine Art/Architecture – Silver, Paris, France
- 2020, ITSLIQUID, Artist of the Month, July 2021 Winner, Milan, Italy
- 2021, MONOVISIONS Photography Awards, Honorable Mention – Series, Architecture
- 2020, International Photography Awards, Abstract Architecture, Second Place Win
- 2019, International Photography Awards, Honourable Mention
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- 2022, Conveying Space, Museum of Literature of Ireland, UCD Naughton Joyce Centre, Dublin, Ireland
- 2021, Conveying Space, University College Dublin
- 2020, The Royal Institute of British Architects, The Space Between, London
- 2020, The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, The Space Between, Dublin
- 2018, Art & Style, Selfridges Brown Thomas, Dublin, Ireland
Group exhibitions
- 2022, Images Are All We Have, PhotoIreland Festival, Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland
- 2022, Photo London, Somerset House, London, United Kingdom
- 2021, BBA Gallery Photographic Prize during Berlin Photo Week, Berlin
- 2021, Art Without Walls, Campari X Affordable Art Fair, London, United Kingdom
- 2020, The Performer, Millepiani, Rome, Italy.
- 2019, The Royal Art Prize, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London, United Kingdom
- 2018, The Other Art Fair hosted by Saatchi Art, London, United Kingdom.
Projects
- Conveying Space (2021)
Conveying Space was commissioned by UCD to commemorate Belfield 50 and captures the atmospheric qualities of architecture and emphasises the interaction between structure and natural light. In an intimate and powerful contemplation Holfeld’s images provide access to a new look at the built legacy of University College Dublin; deconstructing the elemental components of architecture, transforming the rebar, concrete and stucco of its buildings to change the way we think about the structures themselves. Through careful positioning and calculated framing, Holfeld illuminates the subtleties and nuances in architecture, while exploring the profession beyond its commercial appeal. This series has received international awards from the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Awards, The International Photography Awards and the MonoVisions Black and White Photography Awards.
- The Space Between (2020)
The Space Between employs Holfeld’s distinctive visual language to assemble the architectural surfaces he encounters as painterly abstractions. Through his lens and borrowing from the clean, vivid clarity of modernist painting, Holfeld transforms his studies into striking compositions of colour and geometric form. For this series Holfeld has focused on the Calpe housing estate La Muralla Roja by iconic Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. Built in 1973 La Muralla Roja is a postmodern apartment complex in Manzanera, Calpe, Spain and is ranked as one of Ricardo’s ten most iconic works. The series has received international recognition winning many awards around the world and was exhibited in London’s RIBA where first editions were acquired by the Institute in to their permanent and prestigious Robert Elwall Photography Archive.
- Morocco (2018)
Completed in 2018 this new body of work are the intuitive result of two years of travel to Morocco. Much like a compass might guide a nomadic traveller, the sites have drawn Holfeld to them and make no comment on religion or politics; it simply seeks to display and share something of the beauty and grace of the Arab aesthetic. Holfeld debuted the series when luxury department store Brown Thomas, owned by businessman & philanthropist Galen Weston of the Selfridges group, invited him to exhibit his work in their Dublin flagship store. For his work, Holfeld received an honourable mention from the International Photography Awards in 2019 and was hand selected by Saatchi curators to exhibit in London’s The Other Art Fair in 2018.
