Portals
In 2018, Daniel Holfeld debuted Portals at Brown Thomas in Dublin. Presented by the Selfridges Group, the series was featured in the store’s main window alongside global fashion houses like Celine and Dolce & Gabbana.
Raised in Ireland within a Catholic tradition, Holfeld was drawn to the sacred dimensions of Arab and Islamic architecture during his time in Morocco. Moved by its divine symmetry and spiritual resonance, he sought to capture not just the visual beauty but the transcendence within these spaces. Here, the architecture, imbued with cultural beliefs and practices, becomes a conduit for communication and reverence, fostering a sense of continuity and belonging across time and space for both the living and the departed.
Through a monochromatic lens, Portals explores the interplay of light and shadow, revealing the silent poetry of Moroccan architecture. The work delves into the thresholds between public and private, life and death—where ornate geometric patterns and sacred calligraphy become visual meditations. More than mere documentation, these images serve as symbolic gateways, inviting viewers into a space where the tangible meets the divine.












