The photographs of Lonneke van der Palen (1985) focus on everyday objects: from a cutlery holder, an unripe bell pepper, and a clothespin to a bottle of sunscreen or close-ups of body parts. Her photographs are rooted in reality, but never documentary. Van der Palen carefully selects her subjects and rearranges, enlarges, adds or removes elements, and filters out the noise. She reduces the visible world to a purified essence. This results in compositions in which form, color, and light are deliberately interrelated. Although everything is staged, her images have a very realistic appearance.
Lonneke van der Palen has made a selection from more than ten years of work, often in series or with recurring themes. For example, she photographed countless objects literally from two sides: to find the perfect positioning, she also did so diametrically from the other side. Together, the two images almost form a three-dimensional image. Another example is the series Please Sit on Me, ordinary white plastic garden chairs that she photographed in various places around the world. She depicted these chairs in such a way that they almost became characters—characters that sometimes live longer than we humans do. Her approach gives other objects a dreamy, poetic quality, such as the jerry cans she kept encountering and then decided to photograph. And the pile of stones on a knee, created out of boredom, takes on a decorative, almost abstract quality.
Unexpected connections
Although each image stands on its own, Van der Palen adds extra meaning to the exhibition by playing with surprising combinations on the wall and coming up with new titles. Just as she often works associatively with the means at her disposal, she presents her images in the exhibition. The presentation of old and new work—captured in the studio or on location—side by side leads to intriguing and unexpected connections. Not only for the artist herself, but also for the visitor: everyone has their own associations, creates their own stories. By breaking through the traditional hierarchy of photographic genres and presenting images in different formats and in different ways—as enlarged wallpaper, framed, or simply on the wall—a surprising aesthetic emerges. "In this way, I hope to encourage people to experience everyday scenes in a more playful and conscious way."
Lonneke van der Palen
Lonneke van der Palen graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2011. Since then, she has been combining her independent work with commissions. In recent years, her work has been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, and Unseen Amsterdam, among others, and she has photographed for fashion houses such as Maison Margiela, Chloé, and Paco Rabanne. Van der Palen has also contributed to various international magazines, including Le Monde d'Hermès, Numero, and Wallpaper*. In June, her first publication, Lemons Gazing at Mount Etna, will be released in collaboration with design agency Our Polite Society and publisher Free Pony Press, which already looks very promising.