The title People of the 20th Century refers to the eponymous magnum opus of photographer August Sander. This series by Arjan de Nooy comprises collages made of the found footage from his own photography collection. Just like Sander, De Nooy categorizes people. But unlike him, the categories are here constructed according to the activities shown in the photo: people dining, people swimming, or people taking a vacation photo by the railing, to name a few.
People of the 20th Century is part of Arjan's do Nooy body of work Photology, based on the eponymous book (soon to be published). The title Photology is a merging of photography and logic (of game playing), but of course ‘-logy’ also refers to the study of photography. This work aims to be a photographic overview with new series and alternative theories based on the history and theory of the medium. All work exists of found footage, re-photographed photos, postcards and other appropriated material. By giving this another context, a new meaning — always related to photography itself — is created in de Nooy’s work.