Dutch photographer Ruud van Empel (1958, Breda), represented by FLATLAND, comes to Art Rotterdam with new work. Being one of the most acclaimed Dutch photographers, his photographic images, digital collages made from fragments of hundreds of his own photographs, strive for content aligned to natural reality though they carry a certain level of surrealism.
Ruud van Empel dives into the deep seas, remotely and far from the human’s world, where you can only find silence. But even there, far away from any human being, we can see the touch of our species and the damage being done to nature. Ruud van Empel uses his last series of works to expose the true reality of the human footprint on the planet in a subtle and elegant way, making the viewer focus on the beautiful image of the world, but only for a moment, before the dark side of the work starts to be apparent, leaving the viewer with a feeling of unease.
Van Empel’s subjects seem to have time to stand and stare: time to evaluate, to be part of nature, to watch their dreams. There is an inherent beauty, tranquility, nature and pureness. The softness of his tone, though, in no way diminishes the sharpness of his work. There is a sort of attendant pressure: an invisible complication: something that looms over these idyllic scenes.
In a way his incredible skills in contemporary digital techniques stems from a long tradition of artists who are interested more generally in photography as an art form – an idea that originates from the days of the Cubists; the collages of Kurt Schwitters; the photomontages of Man Ray. It may be argued that this lineage dates even further back to the days of the nineteenth century when collaging – the combining of multiple images to form a new whole – was born, not only out of technical necessity but also from an artistic desire or need.
Dutch artist Ruud van Empel (Breda, The Netherlands, 1958) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Sint Joost, Breda from 1976-1981 and was awarded the St. Joost prize in 1981. He received various exhibitions at the following institutions (a selection): Stedelijk Museum, Breda, (2019, NL); Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden, Leiden (2017,NL); NRW Forum, Düsseldorf (2016, GER); Fotografiska, Stockholm (2013, SWE); MoPA Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego (2012, USA); Museum Dr.Guislain, Gent (2011, BE); Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam (2016, NL); FoMu Fotomuseum Antwerpen (2013, BE). Van Empel’s photographs have been presented in ‘Diana und Acteon’, Museum Kunst palast, Germany, amongst great artists like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Marlene Dumas.
COLLECTIONS (selection)
Sir Elton John Collection, Atlanta, USA and London, UK
Christian Louboutin, Paris, New York
Hillman Collection, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, USA
The Weiland Collection wareHOUSE, Atlanta, USA
RCB (Royal Canadian Bank) in America, USA
Stedelijk Museum, Breda, The Netherlands
Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands
Museum EYE Film Instituut Nederland
The Hoboken Photo-Collection, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Rijks Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Arad Collection, London, UK
C-Photo collection, London, UK
David Roberts Collection, London, UK
The Franks-Suss Collection, London, UK
Collection Meeschaert, Paris, France
FNAC Collection (French National Foundation for Modern Art) Paris, France
CB Collection, Tokyo, Japan