Looking Into Looking

2020 // SOLO SHOW // IN THE GALLERY, COPENHAGEN [DK]

“Our external world is reconstructed within us as we pass through it. Its impact goes beyond its ability to shape our exterior experience; it also transforms our interior spaces—our personal relation to the world around us. How this transformation occurs and what it builds in us is at the heart of my practice.” Troels Steenholdt Heiredal

Troels Steenholdt Heiredal makes sense of the world by rearranging it. Objects on his desk, lines in a poem, spaces in a photograph. Recently learning that he is autistic, Heiredal is currently coming to terms with what this means for him both personally and artistically. Looking back at his work, what traces has autism placed within his work in the way he’s experiencing and capturing the world around him?

‘Looking Into Looking’ will bring together three distinct projects [Sky Constellations, Street Constellations, Horizons] from the last five years. Though individually created, each project reveals aspects of Heiredal’s view of the world around him, and shows his ability to reconstruct it on film. Aspects of each project are reflected in the other two; together this builds a larger space between them.

Juxtaposing photographs and making multiple exposures inside the camera become a way for Heiredal to build works with his subjects—co-creating them as expressions of his inner geographies. In doing so, Heiredal finds ways to express the spaces within him.

Heiredal is often looking for traces left by people, the residue of their interactions with the environment. And while people never feature in his work, there is always a strong human presence—as if they have just left the frame and are now standing next to you, engaging you in a silent conversation about what you’re looking at.

Heiredal uses poems as a reconstruction of language—a search for voice. The poems have internal logic that follows Heiredal’s obsession with aligning shapes and building new spaces. A dialogue between the poems and the photos opens the work to new views and interpretations.

‘Looking Into Looking’ is an invitation to inhabit how Heiredal relates to the world. A plea to reject normative ways of seeing, to wrestle with complexity, and to find beauty in messy layers and reframed forms.

looking into
looking into beauty
             into beauty
                    beauty as a way of looking
             into a way of looking
looking into looking
looking a way

Photograph from the opening of “Looking Into Looking” with many people standing around talking and looking at the art photography by Troels Steenholdt Heiredal — Photograph from the opening of “Looking Into Looking” with many people standing around talking and looking at the art photography.

Photograph from the outside In The Gallery, at the opening of “Looking Into Looking” the exhibition is exploring Troels Steenholdt Heiredal's experience of learning that he is autistic — Photograph from the outside In The Gallery, at the opening of “Looking Into Looking”

Photograph from inside In The Gallery at the opening for “Looking Into Looking”, showing people standing around talking and looking at art photography. The show is by Troels steenholdt Heiredal, exploring his realization of being autistic — Photograph from inside In The Gallery at the opening for “Looking Into Looking”, showing people standing around talking and looking at art photography.

Photograph of photo work “Horizons” multiple exposure photo made on 35mm film, exposed in Miami, Florida, USA, Arrhus, Denmark, La Romana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Two people looking listings and artist statement from “Looking Into Looking” with art works hanging in the background, the show by Troels steenholdt Heiredal and was exploring his realization that he is autistic and how it has influences his art work — Two people looking listings and artist statement from “Looking Into Looking” with art works hanging in the background.

Three art photographs hanging on a grey wall. Photos are by Troels steenholdt Heiredal taking in Brooklyn and Queens of industrial facades including moma qns storage and art book facility — Three art photographs hanging on a grey wall.

Photo work Queens Horizon I five distinctive facades juxtaposed and aligned at the roof level to create a new horizon, taken in Brooklyn and Queens by artist Troels Steenholdt Heiredal — Photo work Queens Horizon I five distinctive facades juxtaposed and aligned at the roof level to create a new horizon.

Multiple exposure photo of the ocean horizon, shot on 35mm film in Miami Florida, Aarhus Denmark, La Romana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the art work was made over two years by artist Troels Steenholdt Heiredal. A poem is below the photo — Multiple exposure photo of the ocean horizon, shot on 35mm film in Miami Florida, Aarhus Denmark, La Romana and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Poem by the artist.

Multiple exposure photograph of the Brooklyn night sky shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist and poet, Troels steenholdt Heiredal — Multiple exposure photograph of the Brooklyn night sky shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist.

Multiple exposure photograph of the street facades in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist and poet Troels Steenholdt Heiredal — Multiple exposure photograph of the street facades and especially the balconeys in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist.

Multiple exposure photograph of the street scape in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist and poet, Troels Steenholdt Heiredal — Multiple exposure photograph of the street scape in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shot on 120mm film using custom-made cardboard cutouts inside the camera. Poem by the artist.

Three photographs of industry facades in Queens, New York City, accompanied by three poems below, taken head on to emphasize the compositions, photos and poems by artist and poet Troels Steenholdt Heiredal — Three photographs of industry facades in Queens, New York City, taken head on to emphasize the compositions.