Until 31 August, a group exhibition featuring works by five artists will be on display at Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen in Amsterdam (by appointment only from 27 July to 21 August). Jeroen Hofman, Pentti Sammallahti, Hans van der Meer, Mark van den Brink and Willem Diepraam all present works that are connected by a common theme: the seascape.
Dutch photographer Jeroen Hofman traditionally shoots his photos from a crane or aerial platform, averaging 20 meters above the ground. Through this method, he has captured Amsterdam and Rotterdam's city parks, the Wadden Islands, the Belgian and Zeeland coasts, and even ARTIS zoo during lockdown. Before shooting, Hofman conducts extensive research using maps and Google Earth, always considering weather and light conditions. The resulting process requires quite a bit of patience as he often spends hours on an aerial platform. His bird’s-eye view offers viewers more information and context than the naked human eye could possibly perceive. Hofman: “There is a specific spot above the ground where you can no longer hear the people below and can't quite reach the birds above. This complete isolation sharpens my senses.” His work was featured in a solo exhibition at Fotomuseum Den Haag in 2022.
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Jeroen Hofman, Wad #3, Ameland, Eiland, 2018, Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen
Willem Diepraam developed a versatile oeuvre throughout his career. In his early years, he worked for the Dutch publication Vrij Nederland, producing socially engaged photojournalistic reports that significantly influenced Dutch visual culture. He captured many images in Amsterdam and traveled extensively for his work, including for aid organizations. His later work is more abstract and aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the sea, where he spent part of his youth. Diepraam stated in Het Parool newspaper: “I have always taken different kinds of photos: from portraits to stark social reality photos, but the aesthetics within the image became increasingly appealing to me.” His work was showcased in a retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2020.
Willem Diepraam, Seascape, Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen
Pentti Sammallahti is one of Finland's foremost photographers. His black-and-white photography embodies an aesthetic associated with Scandinavia, combining simplicity with a distinct sense of humour. Sammallahti, the grandson of photojournalist Hildur Larsson, developed a passion for photography at a young age, taking up a camera at eleven and later traveling worldwide for his work—from Nepal, Siberia, and Morocco to Japan and South Africa. He is particularly fascinated by the relationship between people and animals. His work has been included in collections such as the V&A in London, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
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Hans van der Meer’s oeuvre is diverse, ranging from photos in Hungary during the Cold War to images of modern farming. He is perhaps best known for his series that highlights lower-league amateur football, focusing not only on the game but also on the landscapes surrounding these often rural matches. Van der Meer started by capturing matches in the Netherlands before expanding to a European scale. The exhibition ‘European Fields’ was showcased at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam and traveled to cities like Milan, Frankfurt and Beijing. At Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, Van der Meer presents a few images from this series, each featuring the sea.
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Hans van der Meer, Europese Velden, Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen
Mark van den Brink is an experimental photographer who prefers working with an inconspicuous and ultra-light Minox ‘spy camera’. Between 1994 and 2005, he built an extensive image archive, with a selection compiled in the book ‘The Minox Files’. His seascapes, currently on display at Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen, exude a lightness and spontaneity due to the lack of a rigid framework. Van den Brink’s oeuvre is characterised by a spontaneous, poetic and diary-like style, capturing both nature and major metropolises like Paris and New York. His work has been exhibited at the Scheepvaartmuseum, Foam Amsterdam, the Frans Hals Museum and Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
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Mark van den Brink, 12007.03.gr, 2003, Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen
