Heaven Is A Prison by Mark McKnight

Heaven is a Prison is McKnight’s first monograph. With an essay by poet and literary critic Garth Greenwell and a poem by Frank Bidart, this book includes a selection of black and white photographs that explore the Southern California desert. The book is divided into chapters that follow a sequence. However, this sequence isn’t linear, but fluctuates between the literal and the figurative, between the violent and the tender. This way, the book proposes an exploration of intimacy between bodies and the arid, deserted landscape. Overall, McKnight’s monograph has a poetic , otherworldly mood, full of metaphor and contrast as well as a sculptural beauty. Further, this book is the winner of the 2020 Light Work Photobook Award.