“Dana Bell plays with abstraction and repetition—two formal qualities that demonstrate the interrelation of
photography’s material and psychological effects. Working across analog and digital techniques, her
compositions dynamize the figure by combining intense optical flicker with haptic impact. Considering how photographers have historically chosen to prioritize stasis or movement, icon or index, agent or object, Bell digs deep into the tradition to discover surprising continuities. What emerges is a sense that embedded within photography’s material histories are questions about the shape, and stakes, of expression and social life.”