Being a participant gives you a special privilege: that of being able to “own” all the riches on display, all to yourself, before the artists and the crowds arrive. An embarrassment of riches, of sorts, making you feel like a very special guest at your own show. This time around, I wandered through the wide aisles, discovering more artists, not necessarily people I had talked to or met. I made myself a promise: next time, I will.
Ivar Schutte presents his work in black and white. There is a nostalgic quality to his images, such as the view of a small café, possibly somewhere in Italy. An old lady stands behind the counter, lost in her thoughts or engaged in some precise little task while waiting for the customers. Then there is Ruth, a beautiful, sensual woman caught in an intricate movement, covering her head with her forearms. Is she protecting herself? Simply rearranging her hair? We don’t really know. What matters is that Schutte captures her essential beauty in a soft, delicate light. Stunning.
In a completely different register, Kore Heerema plays with light and colour. His abstract photographs are almost paintings in their own right. Ban Dinh, a reference to Hanoi where Heerema created the series, conveys the vibrancy of the Vietnamese capital at night. It is a place I have experienced myself: the energy, the sounds, the intertwined traffic moving in an apparently chaotic but strangely fluid motion, based on an unspoken understanding that the pedestrian has the right of way. The luminous trails captured by Heerema suddenly make perfect sense when you make the connection with the title. The photograph becomes less abstract and more like a memory of a place in motion.
Danae Looman is a young talent on the rise. Her series Between Past and Present reflects on her state of mind and her life experiences so far. Seeing Danae in person, living, laughing, moving and dancing her way through the event, leaves me with no doubt that she will become what she already is: a true artist.
Manoah Biesheuvel explores in his photographs the space between tension and stillness, inviting us to pause, reflect on the emotions we experience and connect them to our own lives. Vulnerability, longing for calm and the search for balance are at stake. His black-and-white images are serene and yet somehow tense, holding a quiet sense of unease beneath the surface. I particularly enjoyed the photograph titled Held I, which I reproduce here.
Katiche van der Knoop also works in black and white. She photographs animals and landscapes, looking for what lies beneath the surface , the soul of a place or an animal, while also exploring the connections she establishes with her subjects. I particularly enjoyed her understated landscape The Space in Between. To me, it perhaps best represents the work she is showing here, combining simplicity, atmosphere and a quiet sense of mystery with considerable talent.
