Portrait Photography; Transcendence by Joris van der Ploeg

Joris van der Ploeg (1989) launches a new series of work at his new solo exposition “Transcendence”. Again the young female is the central theme, which makes the work characteristic for him as an artist. He transforms the “usual” portrait into something new: a version where the human fades and transcends.

‘I only photograph young females because I find them absolutely mysterious and pure.’ Van der Ploeg is looking for the most natural form of the model, which is the starting point in his work. He emphasises this aspect, enlarges it and shifts it to a higher level where the models emerges above themselves. It has been a very conscious choice to deprive the image of all context so all attention would be on the model. There is no use of makeup and the postures are not staged which leads to classical and natural compositions. By getting rid of all possible elements of meaningful context the model remains in her purest and most natural shape. He extracts the essence, which he enlarges and it amplifies the mystic around the model. The use of analogue photography and his own technique enhances this: the duplication in the image works in an alienating way and creates an intangible feeling.

The solo exposition “ Transcendence ” exhibits the development of the artist Joris van der Ploeg in two series: “Future Heroes” and “Transcendence”. His work shows a clear line evolving around the same subject of the young females that intrigues him so much. He approaches his subjects with the utter most respect and shows the empowerment of these women in their own pure and natural way. He is striving his own vision and has a distinguished style and technique that makes him stand out in the world of photography. “Future Heroes” are all young girls who are not yet in high school. They are in that fragile phase between being a child and hitting puberty: the phase, where society has not yet influenced them. They are getting more and more conscious about the world surrounding them and about themselves. Van der Ploeg is fascinated about the intangible complexity of this phase that will soon disappear and evolve into something else. The artist shows the duplicity between the fragility of this age, but also the power they have with a strong developed character of her own.

The way they look into the world is fascinating. It makes the images endearing but also confronting at the same time. “Transcendence” is the latest series of Van der Ploeg and will be shown for the first time. In this series he was not explicitly looking for a “super” woman but because of his admiration for women and his intention to portray her in a strong, pure and mystical manner, every model transcends to the level of a superwoman. By portraying them in the nude he shows the woman in their natural form without any distraction of added context. The characteristic technique of the artist is visible all over which is striking in the work of Van der Ploeg.

Van der Ploeg is a 2014 graduate student of the Photo Academy of Amsterdam. His work got much attention and is shown in different international shows, for example: International Photo Festival Leiden, during UNSEEN Amsterdam at The Lodge and the Vogue Fashion Night Out exposition in Milan, Italy. He is one of the New Dutch Talents of 2015 in the book New Dutch Photography Talent 2015. [Official website][Qlick Editions]