To The People of New York

‘To The People of New York’ is a series about discovering New York in an abstract photographic way, paying homage to the legacy of abstract art in America while providing a fresh perspective on the contemporary urban landscape. From the objects routinely seen in daily life to the architecture, walls, constructions, cars, and other ‘products’ of human activity this project aims to go beyond the surface, unravelling the layers of things so ordinary they escape our attention.

New York City, often hailed as the epitome of hustle and bustle, is renowned for its overcrowded streets, a constant symphony of honking horns and hurried footsteps. However, within this chaotic exterior lies a hidden world of solitude and calmness that often goes unnoticed. This project seeks to unveil the quieter, more contemplative side of the city, capturing moments of tranquillity amid the routine chaos.

Working on the project for the second year in a row, I am discovering New York through the eyes of locals by asking them what areas I should attend, to discover the diversity and absurdity of The Big Apple. For me, NYC is a big blank canvas and photography is a brush, a tool that I use for self-expression. This is another side of the project: I truly believe that photography is such an underrated genre of art nowadays. It’s only 10% of the art world, however, I think we still don’t know so much about this incredible new medium. The work of Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Ellsworth Kelly, and Agnes Martin, among other amazing artists, working with the same approach, inspired me to create my own abstract pieces through the city’s landscapes.

As Matisse said: ‘What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter – a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.’ I hope the envisioned book and exhibition will serve as a visual journey, inviting viewers to experience the city in a novel and thought-provoking way and will give the same feelings described by Matisse for spectators.’

Find out more: 

Website: www.clover-studio.co.uk

Instagram: @clovergreenstudio

GOSSAMER

When Damian came to Paris from Poland at 22, without any knowledge of French and having grown up in a village far removed from the cultural buzz of a metropolis, he soon sought to find his way and define his identity as an artist.

In 2020 when the pandemic struck and he wasn’t able to work, he used his free time to go through his personal archive, which included not only a wealth of photographs but also the poems that he had been writing since he was 13 and he discovered between his poetry and photos a common thread that had hitherto escaped him.

And this is how GOSSAMER was born, a project assembling photographs and poems that illustrate his world before the pandemic and reflect his emotions triggered by the beauty of the male body, the austere landscapes, the images of his home country that haunted his youth, some specific moments of his new life in Paris or scenes of nature that remain printed on his retina. GOSSAMER is thus a visual and poetic memoir of an artist in his twenties on the road to discovering his artistic voice and identity.

Find out more: 

Website: www.damiannoszkowicz.com
Instagram: @damiannoszkowicz

 

Simple Complicated

The photographs presented are a representation of continuing bodies of work I consider paintings or drawings manifested in photographic form.  While shot digitally on my Leica or Canon, the images are all produced in a camera with no Photoshop retouching. I manipulate reality through long exposures, “painting” with the camera, using found forms and/or physically creating shapes of light with the camera to create the image. 

Often using mundane moments of the day and presenting them in a way the viewer may never have seen or considered to be beautiful.  I am making the simple visual, making the simple energetic, making the simple peaceful, making the simple bold, making the simple calm, making the simple important – making the simple complicated.

Find out more: 

Website: www.danhallman.com

Instagram: @danhallman

Les Aventures singulières

The project is a mix of several photographic series in the framework of a broader lifelong project, which I am still undertaking. Unique people with their unique history and stories are dramatic, funny, and deep. A unique journey through their lives, and a lonely journey of my own, where our paths are crossed and bring in a precious moment of creation – photography which is going to remain forever. 

Photography remains to me as a waltz and poetry, the ocean and the prose, kindness, a lonely journey and silence, a woman’s hand to hold, mountain peaks and lava heat, the wind, a painting, sculpture, cinematography, therapy, freedom, and love.

These photographs are about the sense of heart.

Being a devoted documentary photographer and visual anthropologist imposes certain conditions on the lifestyle and general “household” routine. As soon as the photographer ignites his photographic “deus ex”, images and objects, people, or sceneries dictate a photographer’s path. When the photographer accepts the conditions and proceeds to that path resistance less, the most beautiful, natural, and overwhelming result appears in an outcome.

Find out more: 

Website: www.eugenepetrushanskiy.com

Instagram: @ex.lib

Inbetween Moments

Somewhere in between is where the most beautiful things happen. When the sun is just about to emerge or when someone doesn’t notice that they are being observed. It’s in those moments that I see colours, shapes, or contradictions with sharp clarity. Almost not quite becoming just right. A glance turns into an eye-moment, a body into a composition of lines. In the emptiness, I find simplicity and intimacy. It’s not just a creation, but above all, a connection.

I draw inspiration from the everyday, seeking beauty in the commonplace and the mundane.

My work is a canvas upon which I encourage viewers to craft their own narratives. It’s not about my story but the stories you create as you gaze upon my images. In this way, the story takes a backseat to the visual language I’m shaping.

Humanity plays a central role in my work. My photographs almost invariably feature people. I find the human aspect to be powerful.

Find out more: 

Website: floredewachter.be. 

Instagram: @floredewachter

Carrara Marble

Carrara marble has stood for luxury, power, and durability for thousands of years. But what does the world-famous marble mean for the small town in Tuscany and what impact does monoculture and increasing automation have on people?

Why do you think each and every one of us continues to boost extraction in Carrara?

With these questions in mind, I meet workers in the heavily guarded quarries and visit artists in their studios. I find a divided city that mourns its former glory; whose magic of a rich economic centre seems to have faded since the 70s. Many are critical of the marble industry today, accusing it of exploiting nature and people. Others work their whole lives in the quarries or the processing industry and feel great pride in the centuries-old culture.

The conflicting interests of the three “groups” in Carrara (marble industry, nature conservation activists, and artists) represent an area of tension that will continue to cause conflict and power struggles in the coming years.

Find out more: 

Website: kaiweisefoto.de/reportage

Instagram: @kaiweisefoto

Justlandia

Embark on a journey through the diversity of Earth in Justlandia, meticulously crafted by the creative spirit of justnago (Justyna Gostkiewicz). This art project unfolds across diverse lands like Iceland, Thailand, Poland, and beyond, continually expanding to embrace additional countries and unique ecosystems. It’s more than capturing nature; it’s like assembling a puzzle where seemingly unrelated elements harmoniously coexist, forming an interdependent whole. 

Justlandia goes beyond being a visual feast—it’s an emotional project. Each piece reflects feelings, experiences, and the cycle of life. The preparation for photos involves a months-long cognitive journey in specific locations, filled with incredible encounters, conversations, and festive moments with local residents.

Justnago, proudly neurodivergent and bisexual, champions diversity in all its forms, a theme resonating in her tales that prompt us to rediscover our connection with the planet and embrace our inner child. Immersed in the company of Earth’s flora and fauna, Justnago captures their essence amidst sun, water, and fresh air. The photographs’ composition was not altered – all elements are real, but the rest is up to your imagination. Through “Justlandia,” the artist invites us to savor the beauty of ecosystems, reminding us of the interconnected strength and inspiration found in diversity.

Find out more: 

Website: www.justnago.com

Instagram: @justnago

Memory Affair

According to Susan Sontag “With the help of photographs, every family constructs a portrait chronicle of itself”. I inherited a box with many old photographs of my family but I wasn’t told any stories about them. While looking at the pictures, my own fantasy emerged and I gave them new faces. 

Covering the faces makes the people depicted more impersonal. This reveals the potential of the image and sensitizes our perception. It sharpens the gaze to see and read the posture, gesture, arrangement, and representation. I want to get people to look behind the surface and ironically question the photographic representation – beyond the culture of remembrance of family pictures. These often surreal to Dadaist-looking images provoke and question the photographic representation ironically. Influenced by the viewer’s own biographical and cultural background, his or her imagination can be set in motion by inventing new stories for the pictures and letting his own imagination play.

In the projects presented here, the concept of combining and, in a certain sense, staging in front of the camera is my working principle that develops intuitively and is then conceptually deepened.

 

Find out more: 

Website: www.lilomangelsdorff.de

Instagram: @lilomangelsdorff

I bring you The Flux

Mariëlle Gebben explores what it means to be part of the greater whole and imagines being able to go straight through time, place, and matter. On these mental journeys, she moves from visible reality and discards all non-essential information. From that abstract level, she tries to get a grip on the truth and envision a future that is softer, smoother, and more peaceful than the present. She is sensing a perfect world: The Flux.

Mariëlle holds a master’s degree in Art and Art Management from the University of Groningen and graduated with honors from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam. The infinite is what intrigues her and she feels close to adventurers, painters, and scientists. In her studio and exhibitions, she uses paper, water, ink, wax, paint, light, and reflection to explore the boundaries between imagination and reality. Her conviction is that the more we know, the less we understand.

Here at Rotterdam Photo, she shows a selection from her latest projects: The Unseen Imagines Itself and The Painters in Me.

Find out more: 

Website: www.mrll.nl

Instagram: @mrllmrll

The call of the jackdaw

Somewhere in our childhood, we undergo a pivotal shift in our perception. Suddenly, our role transitions from participant to observer in the world around us.

As we age, we adopt a more observational and analytical stance. ‘The Call of the Jackdaw’ explores this transition. The project emerges from a longing for a lost connection with our surroundings, a childlike unity untouched by the shadows of adulthood.

The series presents a poetic journey where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Here, the desire for authenticity and connection with the essence of life takes center stage.The series reveals reveals a deeply hidden forest where humans, animals, and nature blend in a miraculous way—a place existing rather in the imagination than on a map.

The title whispers through the series like a secret password, opening the door to this forest. It leads to a place that brings us closer to the core of an untouched, genuine world. What remains is merely a memory. An echo of a bygone time.

Find out more: 

Website: www.riannetegelaar.com

Instagram: @r.i.a.n.n.e.t