Nir Arieli has an eye for motion, capturing breathtaking snapshots of male dancers as they perform arabesques allongé across ethereal spaces. His series, entitled "Tension," combines the intimacy of portraiture with the artful layering of digital photography, producing dizzying images that pay homage to the beauty of the male form.
Arieli began his career in one of the most unlikely of places -- as a photographer for the Israeli military. But after his stint in combat he turned to the performing arts, focusing on the graceful and bizarre aspects of dancers in motion.
"For me, dance is impossible and dancers just don’t make sense," Arieli explained in an interivew with Kaltblut magazine. "They are non-human creatures: their odd physical abilities, dreamlike and nightmarish at the same time, fascinate me."
Arieli finds particular inspiration in the movement of male dancers, using digital manipulation techniques to turn several contortions into one stunning moment. "In my project I function as a visual choreographer, making up a certain movement language that is the outcome of a verbal dialogue between the photographed dancer and I," he stated to Street Anatomy.
Scroll through the images below for a taste of Arieli's hypnotizing works. Let us know your thoughts on the photos in the comments.
