I had the opportunity to attend a significant exhibition of Johan van der Keuken’s body of work in Rotterdam, hosted at the Photography Museum in November 2022, as reported here. Interestingly, a similar exhibition, under a different title “the Rhythm of Images”, which is currently being presented at Musée du Jeu de Paume, was jointly organized by the Rotterdam Photography Museum. The exhibition is a gold mine of over a hundred photographs and films carefully curated from collections in both The Netherlands and France. Many more than shown in Rotterdam in 2022. The prints, particularly to me, spark an engaging and thought-provoking exchange with the visitor. The photographs showcased in the exhibition span van der Keuken’s entire creative journey from 1955 to the early 2000’s, time of his death. As viewers explore the collection, they gain a profound understanding of the artist’s evolution over time, ultimately leading him to explore the realm of filmmaking in his later years. The exhibition provides an insightful look into van der Keuken’s lifelong exploration of movement and rhythm, expressed through photography and film. Inspired by the early times of cinema, his photographic works highlight power structures and deconstruct conventional patterns of visual language and narrative. Van der Keuken’s artistry is marked by keen observation and a passionate drive to capture unfiltered, spontaneous, and occasionally intense moments of reality. This evolution in his work is apparent in his experimental, fluid approach to editing, harmoniously blending with the rhythm of music and sound in his films. Through skillful juxtaposition of contrasting elements, he crafts a novel and inventive visual language that eloquently embodies his distinct artistic vision. I am however, and remain, particularly sensitive to his street photography in Paris, of course, in the years 1956-1958, inspired, to some extend by Henri Cartier-Bresson.
