Initial Intake
November 1 – December 2, 2007
Initial Intake examines the empty chairs and office surroundings of Manhattan-based psychotherapy professionals from the point of view of their clients. From this vantage point I wish to reference the perceptions, associations, and responses to this very private environment, and the work that takes place there.
For many, the role of a psychotherapist holds significant weight, and the importance attributed to her / him is one of profound influence in many of our lives. Viewers are encouraged to consider the inherent personality in each of these environments, and the place of power being held across from them on a regular basis. I am particularly interested in the existence and importance of a dyadic relationship between practitioner and client, one not always considered in more traditional modalities of treatment.
My immediate family is made up of psychotherapists and this work is rooted in the belief that long-term challenges can be resolved by examining patterns in personal and familial history. The series grew directly out of my response to one particular therapeutic relationship and the necessity of questioning the efficacy and treatment while working with that practitioner.
Saul Robbins’ photography explores the psychological dynamics of intimacy and people’s interactions
within their surroundings. He is especially motivated by the intersections of loss, unity, failure, and the
latent potential residing in personal history and traditional photographic materials. Robbins is best
known for “Initial Intake”, which examines the empty chairs of Manhattan-based psychotherapy
professionals from their clients’ perspective, and “How Can I Help? – An Artful Dialogue,” a pop-up
exhibition / office space into which he invites complete strangers to speak with him about anything they
wish, for free and in complete confidence. Robbins has also created several series of abstract
“photographic drawings” and sculptures made from altering chromogenic and gelatin silver papers and
traditional chemistry in response to his desire and struggles to start a family; including “Where’s My
Happy Ending?” “Chemical Peels,” and “Fertile Gestures.”
Exhibitions include Bolinas Museum, Blue Sky Gallery, Deutsche Haus at NYU, Griffin Museum, ICP, Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, Jinju International Photography Festival, Pelican Bomb, Gallery X, Photoville, Portland Art Museum, Rayko Photo, Wellin Museum of Art, among others. Publications include Aufbau, Berlin Tagesspiegel, D – La Repubblica, The Daily Mail, Der Speigel, Dummy, Harvard Business Review, Internazionalle, More, The New York Times, The New Orleans Advocate, The New Yorker, Real Simple, Slate, Wired, among others. Grants and awards include ChaShaMa Windows Award, ChaShaMa Gala (2022 and 2024) Clarence John Laughlin Award (Finalist) The Covenant Foundation, Sheri Sandler and Reba Sandler Foundation, Sony World Photography Awards (Finalist), AJPA Rockower, Gunk Foundation, and New York Foundation for the Arts. Curatorial projects include OFF-Festival, Bratislava (2015), Projecting Freedom: Cinematic Interpretations of the Haggadah (2010), Regarding Intimacy (2007), and No Live Girls, Peep Show 28 (2002). Robbins holds an MFA from Hunter College (City University of New York), where he studied under Roy DeCarava and is Adjunct Professor of Photography at several schools in New York City, including ICP, NYFA, and SVA. Robbins also consults privately and leads Master Workshops about communication strategies and professional level