In February, Dutch photographer Danielle van Zadelhoff will present her monochrome works in Belgium for the first time, at Gallery Ysebaert.
In her portraits, vulnerability and mystery meet in a subtle yet powerful way. The faces captured by Van Zadelhoff radiate a quiet intensity. They tell a story of openness and fragility—a story that cannot be fully understood and only partially revealed.
With her camera, Van Zadelhoff shows what vulnerability really looks like. She portrays people without masks: intense, honest, and recognizable. Her work touches on the everyday and invites the viewer to connect—to allow emotions and discover what often remains hidden.
The use of chiaroscuro plays an important role in her visual language. The tension between light and dark reinforces the sense of visible and invisible, of consciousness and subconsciousness. This technique, known from the Renaissance and used by great masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt, lends her work a classical layering. At the same time, her photography feels distinctly contemporary, subtly combining drama and intimacy.
The portraits invite you to slow down, look, and experience what unfolds between light and shadow—a world full of vulnerability and mystery.