The only thing more eye-catching than a beautiful landscape is a beautiful landscape with a nude man in it. But there’s also a deeper meaning behind the work of photographer Steven Menendez, whose latest series of portraits, Earth Worship, is a celebration of both nature and the male form.
Specifically, Menendez sought to capture portraits of the male form in a state of bliss over the majesty of nature. “The subjects in the images often have their eyes closed, which is a reflection of ancient images and busts of the Buddha. In order to know one’s true nature and know heaven, one must close their eyes to worldly things and go within to cultivate the Divine. The images are meant to express the softer and intuitive side of male beauty that is in touch with both the yin and yang of their spiritual and physical expression,” reads the collection’s description.
For decades, Menendez has been seeking out the wild places in nature where he can escape the constraints of society — and his clothes — and experience the healing influence of being in nature. For Earth Worship, Menendez spent the past few years traveling and photographing Greece, Hawaii, the Everglades, Fire Island, and more.
He has also dedicated the exhibition in honor of recently departed artist and friend James Bidgood, who once said of Menendez, “I love Steven Menendez's luxurious fusing together of uncontrolled nature and the human form in an equally natural state, adding his splendid vision to what is truly to be treasured about mankind."
Menendez is an award-winning photographer and his work has been exhibited at the Leslie Lohman Museum, the FIT Museum in New York, and several gallery and print publications.
Steven Mendenez’s Earth Worship series will be on display at The SoHo Project Space Thursday, March 30, 2023 and Saturday, April 8, 2023. Get a sneak peek at his stirring images below.
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
Steven Menendez
