Growing up on a farm in Zeeland, exposed to frequent loss of life in my family and surrounded by an always rumbling sea, I understood how transient and fragile our lives are from a very early age. So, naturally, themes like precariousness, transience and nature play a big role in my life and in my artistic practice.

I make black-and-white photographs about these themes, focusing on emotion and ambiance. The interesting thing about photography for me is that I take from the existing world and transform it into two-dimensional planes, where a bright flash and monochrome tones convey symbols and metaphors that provoke inner reflection. The work also challenges the viewer’s own experiences. That is where something magical happens between the photograph and the person reading it.

At This Art Fair I will display my graduation project ‘The Day the Birds stopped Singing’. Originally only existing as a photobook that could travel to everyone in a time when we mostly lived on our screens, the project now takes on the form of an exhibition. This is a world where it’s neither day nor night. The project revolves around the feeling of growing up in an evidently dying world.

What use do we have for our wings, if there is nowhere to land?