Round and Round

This photographic base was shot in Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Printed on Fine Art Hahnemühle Hemp Natural Line 290 g/m2.

Each print comes signed and numbered. 

Unframed. With a small white border. Send in a tube.

Print size 90 x 75 cm - Edition of 10

Print size 60 x 50 cm - Edition of 10.

Print size 30 x 25 cm - Edition of 10.
Print size 10,5 x 14,8 cm (DIN A6) - Open Edition.

A gaze meeting itself—creating a universe in the process.

Thomas Haensgen’s Round and Round feels like the eye of a tornado, yet instead of destruction, it opens a portal to contemplative infinity. The piece resembles a cave painting from the future—a vision of a cosmic archaeologist uncovering a gateway to eternity within the remnants of human culture.

The longer you observe the photograph, the more it begins to move—not physically, but in a mental spiral somewhere between the spin of a child’s top and the vortex of a black hole. The sandstone-like textures root the work in geological reality, yet the central, glowing white pulls us irresistibly into the immaterial. This piece isn’t a static image; it’s an experience. As you gaze deeper, you might find yourself tumbling into an imaginary abyss—only to emerge, unexpectedly, back in your own mind.

Drawing from the traditions of surrealist masters like Max Ernst and the hypnotic creations of early Op Art pioneer Victor Vasarely, Haensgen explores the boundaries between space and perception. But where Ernst relied on dream logic and Vasarely challenged us with rigid geometry, Haensgen offers a more organic approach. The composition feels monumental, as though the rock formations of the Grand Canyon were spun through a kaleidoscope and shaken vigorously, leaving us with the results—without any instructions.

What makes Round and Round truly unique is its universal resonance. It could just as easily represent the first photograph of an alien wormhole as it could a memory of that one night when your roommate drunkenly flipped a lava lamp upside down, claiming to find “true perspective.” This blend of accessibility and profound metaphysical depth makes the work extraordinary.

The light at the center—a pulsing beacon of clarity—could symbolize infinity or simply reflect the glow of a bathroom mirror after a sleepless night. However you interpret it, one thing is certain: Round and Round is less a picture than a state of being. And once caught in its spell, you may never want to leave.