Elise struyck
About the Artist
Elise Struyck is an Amsterdam based analogue photographer, born in the Netherlands in 1986 to a Dutch mother and an Indonesian father. Growing up in a culturally conservative environment, the arts were not encouraged in the same way that a business or trade skillset was, and even though she completed her studies in music management, her passion for art and photography never dimmed.
Being pulled in one direction culturally and another creatively has led Elise Struyck down countless different paths. From Artistic Event Manager at Vice Media to Photography Assistant for Latoya van der Meeren. From production of theatre shows to production of video clips. From promotional shoots to intimate portraits and private shoots. Elise has plunged head first into a wide variety of creative endeavours both personal to professional.
This diverse medley of jobs and passion projects has moulded Elise’s creative vision into a thing of it’s own. Over time she has developed a perspective that is embedded in all of her artistic output. Through travel in both international and local environments she has sought a specific, hard to define moment, a particular colour or transient situation to capture in her intimate and unique style.
Artist Statement
Her work is an exploration in grounding oneself in impermanent spaces and capturing the moment when grounding is not an option. In her first solo expo “Oneindigheid Boven Alles” (2018) at Etty Kastein’s pop up gallery in Amsterdam, she captured broad, almost endless top down clouded landscapes. This was an attempt to show us a space above all our human issues, a space we can pass through, a space we can seldom visit but never belong. We always must return to our human environments. But these environments are seemingly becoming ever more chaotic and unpredictable, which is the catalyst for Elise’s on-going photographic and conversational project “Finding Elders”.
What are your “Treasured moments” & how do you connect it to your work?
Feeling lost in my own environment and lacking wisdom passed down in the oral tradition from any elder, I decided – rather than wait for an elder to find me – I would go and find them. In this continuing project I seeks to capture what feels are important moments and wisdoms from the elders of my families and the families of my community.
My work is an attempt to construct an anchor point, a glimpse at meaning and beauty in what otherwise can appear chaotic and directionless.
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