11 september 2023, Wouter van den Eijkel
The studio of... Lonneke van der Palen
Photographer Lonneke van der Palen has a studio in the centre of Amsterdam, but as soon as she walks out the door, it is the few square metres that surround her that matter most. Van der Palen is fascinated by the objects around us. “Everything we observe around us has been shaped by both man and nature, but we do not give this much thought.” To make us take a second look at everyday objects – and with amazement – Van der Palen focuses her lens mainly on objects that have been displaced from their original context, such as a floating plastic bag above a rock pool, a jerry can with windshield wiper fluid stuck in the mud or a plastic bag stuck in a plant. In that new context, they take on more sculptural and decorative significance.
At Unseen, Galerie Fleur & Wouter is showing new work by Van der Palen, whose work has also been nominated for the Meijburg Art Commission.
First of all, congratulations on your nomination for the Meijburg Art Commission! This year’s theme, Environment, fits seamlessly with your work. Did you expect to be nominated or was it a complete surprise?
Thank you! It certainly came as a surprise because I was not aware that Galerie Fleur & Wouter had submitted my work. Environment is a broad subject and can therefore be interpreted in a broad sense. Because many of my fellow photographers cover this theme, I thought my chances being nominated were small. But our environment has always been the basis of my work. I view the world around me as one great source of inspiration from which I can continually draw.
Lonneke van der Palen, Windshield Wiper Fluid, 2022, Galerie Fleur & Wouter
Where is your studio and what does it look like?
I have a studio on Da Costakade in Amsterdam. I share the space with three other artists and it is part of the Tetterode building, a former type-foundry. We are housed in an old daycare centre, where there are three other studios, all connected by a large communal kitchen.
Our space is divided into two compartments: the ground floor, which we often use for shoots and is sometimes completely empty, sometimes completely filled. And above that we have a loft where everyone has their own desk. Here we sit quietly behind a computer, editing, working out concepts or filing tax returns. Thanks to the peace and quiet and large windows overlooking the trees in the courtyard, it sometimes feels like being in a forest – even though it’s in the centre of Amsterdam. It’s very nice.
Having said that, my studio could be anywhere because I consider the available square metres around me as a potential studio. Think of it as fieldwork; the moment I walk out the door, the world presents itself as a backdrop for images, in which everything and everyone has a chance to play a leading role.
What makes a good studio for you?
Above all, there must be room to play. Since I graduated, I have been collecting props, crazy materials and all kinds of other tools that often come in handy during shoots. In addition to photographing, I also play the role of set designer. I sometimes spend hours building sets. Storage is therefore very important.
In addition, it is nice if you can distance yourself sufficiently from your subject, that there is enough light – preferably with a dimmer – and that the people you surround yourself with are inspiring.
But what I find especially important is that the space is accessible day and night. For example, I love working in the evening or even at night when everyone has gone home and there is complete peace and quiet. During the pandemic (and a lack of work), I learned to play drums on an old electronic drum kit from a studio mate. I became addicted and spent evenings playing drums as a form of meditation. For me, such things are essential, because they give you the opportunity to focus on something besides your own work and allow for cross-pollination. For example, a studio mate organises ceramic evenings every month. This way, you can always continue to broaden your horizons.
Lonneke van der Palen, a Weird Shaped Peach, Tape, Gravel and a Car I, 2022, Galerie Fleur & Wouter
You just said that your studio could be anywhere. Is that also why your subjects vary widely – from someone with a wine glass in their hand to a stray plastic bag?
Over the years, I have compiled quite a collection of images without any form of hierarchy. The topics range from plastic chairs, tablecloths, stray shopping bags and jerry cans to stones, tent canvases, exotic fruits and boys in swimming trunks with cocktails. Without a clear connection between these random subjects, a mutual coherence arises in the decision to value and approach them equally: instead of simply registering them, I literally put these everyday impressions in a different light.
This leads to a sometimes visible, sometimes invisible shift in reality. I enlarge subjects and reduce the image to a purified essence, resulting in compositions in which form, colour and light relate to each other in a deliberate manner. The banal almost takes on a sublime status, like billboards for everyday scenes. Whether traditional or non-traditional materials are used, they increase our awareness of how everyday things – from the banal to the transformative – characterise our world.
Let's talk about the plastic bag. Why focus on such a detail?
I am fascinated by the objects that surround us, especially when they lose their original context, take on a different meaning or life of their own, or become almost abstract. A plastic bag is a carrier that belongs in someone's hand, not hanging in a plant. Yet that gives it a sculptural quality, something decorative, and that is precisely why I photographed it. Compare it to staring at the clouds: if you look long enough, their white shape suddenly changes into a beautiful creature.
Lonneke van der Palen, Failed Summer Souvenir, 2023, Galerie Fleur & Wouter
Is that fascination for the objects around us the common thread in your work?
My work can be viewed as a continuously growing visual investigation that revolves around a main theme: material culture and its unexpected aesthetic pleasures. Everything we observe around us has been shaped by both nature and man, but this is not something to which we give much thought.
How all these things take shape and acquire meaning in our lives and the actions that accompany them form the basis of my work. I am driven by a new way of observing, a comprehensive sense of wonder and the ability to observe and record everything and everyone with equal interest and attention. Although pleasure is at its core, my strategy to reveal hidden beauty and unnoticed aesthetic values goes hand in hand with a deeper message about consumerism, natural resources, exploitation and about the origin and development of objects.
I read that you travel a lot, including across Morocco, the U.S. and South Korea. What is the appeal of travelling? Do you notice different things than at home in Amsterdam?
The difference between travelling and moving through your own life is that you are free from your daily routine and therefore more open to everything happening around you.
If you look consciously and take your time, you will notice new things. It’s a bit like walking through a forest and looking for a branch to use as a walking stick. The moment you make the decision to look around you like this, the way you looked at the forest until then completely changes. The appearance of things depends on how we look at them.
Lonneke van der Palen, Coco-Rouge, 2023, Galerie Fleur & Wouter
Galerie Fleur & Wouter will be showing your new work at Unseen. Again, we see very everyday objects: a floating plastic bag above a rock pool, a jerry can with windshield wiper fluid stuck in the mud. What do you want the viewer to see, feel or understand?
It has always been my goal to have the viewer look at the world with that same admiration and love. We live in a time when everyone is constantly staring at a screen and inundated with information and images, so we need to make people aware of the fact that sometimes we lose too much of reality. And that is a shame because our environment has so much more to offer if you stop and think about it. Use that environment and be inspired by what is happening before your eyes!
The way in which the images are presented plays a major role. By showing them side by side, unexpected associations arise. This makes you look differently at the photographed subjects and at the materiality around you in general. It’s a kind of like a puzzle picture, a more playful and conscious experience of quite everyday scenes. For example, a windshield wiper fluid next to a tree full of lemons immediately evokes a scent. Independent images therefore form a link to each other.
What are you working on?
I am currently working on a book. My first! It will not be a monumental photo book, but more like an exhibition concept within a publication format, in collaboration with Our Polite Society and the Free Pony Press. My practice spans over 12 years, and although my work has been exhibited in galleries or museums, sold to collectors and published in several international magazines, I have never published a comprehensive book or monograph. Conceptualising a publication in this mid-career phase seems like an important step that will benefit my practice.
Lonneke van der Palen, Lemons Gazing at Mount Etna, 2023, Galerie Fleur & Wouter
