Astrid Verhoef explores the connection between humans and nature in the most solitary places on Earth. With ‘Human//Nature’, she has created an almost religious experience. She travels the world to find such secluded places, and her photographs are self-portraits printed in a limited edition.

In cooperation with Atelier K84 in Amsterdam, Koster Fine Art Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition by Dutch fine art photographer Astrid Verhoef from 5 April through 11 May 2024. For the first time, the gallery is presenting an extensive survey of her award-winning series ‘Human//Nature’ with surreal black and white photographs shot in locations in the Netherlands, Spain and the US. The exhibition will be on display at Atelier K84, an inspiring art space in the heart of Amsterdam.

“A true urbanite, Astrid Verhoef explores her personal connection to the natural world. The complicated relationship between humans and nature is a common thread throughout her work. When she places herself in desolate landscapes, an anonymous character arises that wants to connect with her surroundings. However, her roots in contemporary modern life often remain visible in the form of an artificial element. The serene images can be seen as emotional translations where the desire for synergy is challenged by an urge to control.

The long-term project ‘Human//Nature’ is a logical continuation of Verhoef’s well-known series ‘Inscapes’. With an increasingly minimalist visual language and more and more geometrical approach to composition, she aims to emphasize the contrast between the human presence and the natural. At the same time, she stages a scene, creating a moment that can only exist because of the combination of the two. Her theatrical photography is also an ode to imagination itself,” the gallery tells us about the exhibition.

Astrid Verhoef, born in Amsterdam in 1973, studied photography at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Since 1998, she has been working as a fine art photographer and artist, but also regularly as curator over the last decade. Her staged photography has garnered international acclaim as part of the collection of the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris and has been frequently shown at exhibitions in Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, New York, Paris, Rotterdam, Sydney, and Tokyo. Koster Fine Art Gallery has presented the artist’s work at FotoFestival Naarden as well as at leading art fairs including KunstRAI and PAN in Amsterdam.

Human//Nature
Exhibition at Atelier K84 from 5 April – 11 May 2024.
Keizersgracht 84h in Amsterdam
Opening hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm – 6pm, and by appointment

 
18.03.2024 show complete article

Berlin-based photographer Felix Lammers and visagist Yasmin Heinz, who lives in London, are celebrating the publication of their photo book ‘Utopians – Visionary People’, a creative snapshot of our time and its longing.

Over 200 pages of striking portraits of pioneering individuals from the worlds of art, culture, and science, who share their unique utopian visions with readers. These aesthetic icons and groundbreaking innovators represent various areas including activism, architecture, fashion, film, nature, music, science, sports, and street art. Among them are acclaimed actors Clemens Schick and Albrecht Schuch, comedic genius Gayle Tufts, the cult DJs Itamar Asher and Cosmic Caz as well as the energetic Twiin Dance Company, the vibrant Ukrainian Cultural Community of Berlin, and the inspiring Paralympic Champion Florence Garrett. 

The project by the creatives unfolded across two distinct locations, Berlin and London, capturing the urban atmosphere of these two melting pots and documenting the lives of their protagonists during a time of radical transitions.

Felix Lammers: “As a portrait photographer, I am always fascinated with capturing the magic moment when the nature of a person reveals itself. Throughout my international career, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with highly talented people. Whether for campaigns with high-end clients in the fashion and beauty industry or editorials for prestigious magazines, I love working in teams. Yasmin and I, through our a long-term collaboration, have developed a deep creative synergy and created many impressive images. Our latest venture ‘Utopians’ takes this dynamic to a whole new level.”

Yasmin Heinz: “Having lived and worked as a makeup artist in New York and Paris, I am based in London. I love to be among those out there, the so-called outsider creative street artists known for breaking boundaries. It was amazing to meet all these visionary people during our new project. Transforming them into utopian artworks was the biggest challenge for me.”

Book presentation & signing: Friday, 15 March 2024, 6pm – 10pm
Attending the event: Thomas Bading, Albrecht Schuch, Lazlo Fanning among others
Location: The Lovers & Leaders Space, Torstraße 101, 10119 Berlin

‘Utopians – Visionary People’ by Felix Lammers & Yasmin Heinz
Design: Printkultur (Munich, Germany), preface: Joachim Baldauf, interview: Melissa Moore, retouch: Valentina D’Ettore, size: 18 x 27 cm, large softcover, approx. 200 pages, price: 45 EUR, ISBN: 978-3-9824241-94, limited edition of 600 copies. The book can be ordered at: www.utopians.land.


For further information, please contact Nadine Dinter PR at www.nadine-dinter.de.
 
04.03.2024 show complete article

‘Lost & Found’ documents a contemporary American subculture of young travelers through raw, striking portraiture and intimate storytelling. These travelers, as they are referred to, abandon home to move around the country by hitchhiking and freight train hopping in a nomadic, transient existence outside of mainstream society. On their personal journey, driven by wanderlust, escapism, or a search for transient jobs, they find a new family in their traveling friends. The high of freedom, however, does not come without consequence.

Like graffiti on the walls of the city streets they inhabit and the trains they ride, their bodies and faces become the visual storybook of their lives. Their clothing is often a mismatch of found items. Jackets, pants and vests are self-made like a patchwork quilt, using fabric pieces of a fellow traveler’s clothing embellished by metal bottle caps, buttons, safety pins, lighter parts, syringe caps, and patches.

Joseph’s black and white portraits are made in public, on the street, using natural light. His portraits reveal the human condition. They capture courage, tenderness, and determination in his subjects that have been largely ignored and unseen.

Michael Joseph is a photographer who documents subculture through street portraiture. Raised just outside of New York City, his inspirations are drawn from interactions with strangers on city streets and aims to afford his audience the same experience through his photographs. His portraits are made unplanned and up close to allow the viewer to explore the immediate and unseen.

Michael’s work has been shown online on CNN, Vice, AnotherMan and PaperMag and published in international magazines, including Elle, Inked, 1814, and SHOTS. He has held solo exhibitions at Daniel Cooney Fine Art (New York, NY), in Soho Photo Gallery (New York, NY) and at the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (Rochester, NH).

Linen hardcover with title shield 26 x 33 cm,
168 pages, 93 duplex illustrations,
English, ISBN 978-3-96900-138-7 2023
Texts: Michael Joseph, Paige Stevens
Design: Benjamin Wolbergs
07.02.2024 show complete article