Photo Poets: Hollis Mehling

Summer 2025 Photo Poet Hollis Mehling’s site-specific works focus on the quintessential magical grunge that hangs in the air on Coventry Road like smoke. An analog reflection on the Midwestern, Rust Belt grit that births new imaginations and interpretations of the neighborhood. A space influenced by old and new, whimsical and poetic, holding all the sensory experiences felt on a sunny afternoon visiting Mac’s Backs, or a cool night outside the Grog Shop.

Bio:

“I was born and raised in Cleveland Heights. I believe that, for me, Coventry Road is the bleeding heart of Cleveland Heights and has served as a dear companion for all of my life. As I found my passion for photography, Coventry became a muse. I find that it is an everchanging distillation of the community around it which has guaranteed my continual return.” – Hollis

How do you interpret the title, “Photo Poet?” – Aja

A Photo Poet, for me, is a bard and a deceiver. They are one who first bastardizes reality. They choose, and they negate. In divorcing sight from reality, they have turned photons into lies. The poetry of photography comes when the viewer, excited by the myths of the photographer, finds what is true. A photo poet’s work may make statements, but it must warrant questions. – Hollis