Erik Madigan Heck moved to New York City where he founded the semi-yearly publication
Nomenus Quarterly in 2007. The project was conceived as a collaborative platform working with artists of all mediums within the worlds of fine art and fashion.
Nomenus Quarterly was published both online and in print, featuring the work of artists such as
Anselm Kiefer,
Gerhard Richter,
Rodarte,
Ann Demeulemeester, and Heck himself. Journalist
Dan Thawley describes Heck's work as "[having] a dreamlike quality marked by surrealist undertones, an appreciation for fine art conventions, and an exploration of various photographic mediums (both modern and obsolete)". Heck works with both
analog and
digital photography as well as with
Super 8 for film shorts. Heck identifies himself as a “painter who uses photography,” and cites the 19th century painter
Édouard Vuillard as one of his major influences as well as the work of modern photographer
Harry Callahan. Due to Heck's interest in mediums and technologies of the past, his reoccurring use of nature as a theme, as well as his focus on beauty as the ultimate
ideal, Heck's work has often been described as a contemporary extension of
Romanticism. Referencing his own work, Heck explains that “...to access beauty is what we ultimately desire, and the tangibility of this access is what in my opinion ultimately differentiates fashion from art as end points on a continuum, and simultaneously elevates fashion photography to such an important place in contemporary society.” Heck has created
advertorial portfolios for brands such as
Mary Katrantzou,
Kenzo, and
Etro. ==Exhibitions==