DUO SHOW: RJ Muna + Benjamin Heller

“Drops – Group,” 2018, Benjamin Heller

The Robin Rice Gallery is proud to present a duo exhibition by RJ MUNA “Fleeting Gestures” and “Inner Tidal” by Benjamin Heller. The Opening Reception will be held on August 17th, 2024 from 4 pm to 7 pm.

The photographs and sculptures intermixed in the gallery engage a conversation between the dynamics of fluid water, gravity, and flight. Dance and movement are an undercurrent that runs between both artists’ work.

RJ Muna’s photographic series, Fleeting Gestures 2017, captures various images of birds mid-flight. Taking inspiration from photographers like Irving Penn, Muna embraces the camera as a machine and its indifference to what it takes a picture of. With variations in the exposure, he creates intentionally blurred abstractions of individual birds that capture the essence of their motion. The monochromatic silhouettes create dark movement on spacious bright white ground.

These photographs are installed mosaic style in different shapes and sizes on opposite-facing walls of the gallery’s central alcove. Varying levels of clarity create an interplay between the photographs that requires the viewer to see the whole selection to fully engage with the different states of motion each image conveys. The abstraction of individual birds come together to contribute to a bigger picture and sense of movement. The velocity of flight creates an array of gestures, minimal in detail, that range from the upward ascent of the feathered edge of a wing to the curvilinear expressionist stroke of a horizon. The colors in the polychromatic images come from the reflections of earth and sky.

The earth-tones and fluid features of these photographs resonate with the carved golden oak and steel of “Siren” a sculpture by Benjamin Heller, presented on a pedestal centered between Muna’s surrounding photography. The smooth, watery surface, carved from a two-foot section of a weathered beam, is punctuated by waves that resemble both a ribcage and ripples in sand formed by wind or water. Viewers are invited to touch and engage with the tactile aspects of this work. Heller’s intention is for it to be viewed from all sides, as the light shifts across the polished surface to reveal the sculpture’s subtleties in relief, with formations and curves that encourage touch.

The title of Benjamin Heller’s group of sculptures, “Inner Tidal” refers to an “Intertidal Zone”, which is the edge of an ecosystem that is alternately above and below the waterline at the edge of a river or ocean. The handmade wood and stone sculptures are of an intimate human scale that can be held in the hands or hold the body. The pieces are punctuated by the intimate landmarks of the interior and exterior of the human body abstracted by the fluid natural forces that transform the landscape. This phenomenon of solid yet moving ground is also present in the nested bases that are carved hold the impression of the sculptures.

The carved “Drop” sculptures are solid wood, yet fluid in form and movement. They are self-balancing so that they can be held and moved into different relationship with each other. In order to achieve this fluidity and carefully balanced center of gravity, these sculptures are painstakingly hand-made through a gradual and labor-intensive process of carving, sanding, and being carved internally and filled with lead as ballast.

The work from the two artists holds an interplay that experiments with the viewer’s perception of forms. Both give the viewer enough cues to make out a recognizable form, but also intentionally evoke a sense of ambiguity in their own respects; Benjamin Heller’s using touch and shape, and RJ Muna’s using visual abstraction to create a flowing appearance and motion conveyed between both artists’ work.

RJ Muna is an acclaimed photographer based in San Francisco, with a background in fine art, studio photography, and dance, and he is widely known for his innovative and evocative photography. Muna grew up in Berkley, California, and studied fine art at San Jose State University. Practicing photography since the age of 14, he started out doing street photography, and after getting a degree in art, he would later go on to achieve over 150 national and international awards in his career as a commercial photographer, most notably receiving the Lucie award in 2003.

Benjamin Heller is a cross-disciplinary artist based in New York City. He grew up in Minneapolis with a deep connection to theater and nature, and at 16 studied photography at the University of Minnesota. At 19, he moved to New York and began working in design and creating visuals for advertising. His sculpture practice is self-taught and draws from a diverse training in visual arts and physical improvisation. The performance, sculpture, photography, and site-specific installations have been exhibited nationally and internationally. He has been awarded various grants and residencies, including the NYFA fellowship in Sculpture in 2020.

To view RJ Muna + Benjamin Heller in their upcoming exhibition at the Robin Rice Gallery, visit https://robinricegallery.com/exhibitions/2024/8/17/benjamin-heller-and-rj-muna-duo-show