I've had the privilege of following Dennis from a distance for several years now. Especially when it comes to photography. Although at first glance his portfolio may seem a bit varied or perhaps sometimes incoherent, an underlying meaning or explanation to it can certainly be found.
The fact his portfolio is so modest says a great deal about the self-criticism of this artits. He does not go lightly on the fact that digital photography can easily produce an almost endless stream of images. On the contrary, it seems this young artist thinks twice about each photo. As if great care has been given for each and every photo. In that sense you could almost call him a conceptual photographer.
His registrations of the world surrounding him are far more than just that. Because almost every time the viewer will be directed to a world behind this world. That what is visible, within the frame, is almost always a non compelling direction to another, not visible, world. It is tempting to say that this invisible world reflects the inner experience of the artist.
Certainly with some photos this is clearly visible, like in the photo LOST where the loneliness and the feeling of being lost is seen so clearly in just a pair of eyes. This pain, about anything, becomes real, one can feel it and it catches you. The remarkable thing is that Dennis never seems to get sentimental about this. In a way he remains the cool observer even when it is about his own and inner world.
In his work there is often a gate, a path or a road of some sort. Whatever is suspected behind that gate remains unsaid. The gate is usually closed. The road or path comes to a dead end of transfers into a large space or void, where man is hardly recognizable anymore. The viewer of his work feels a link to a cosmos that certainly isnt empty or meaningless. If anything, it seems there are invisible creatures, death, life, light
One cannot escape the impression that the artist does not want to give the answers to the questions about this giant cosmos. For that he stands to firm on the ground, he is to much trapped in the earthly matter. And just that gives the viewer a large amount of freedom, the possibility to self explore the contents, to see the worlds behind ours!
This young photographer directs, but never tells us where to go. His path and his gate are just subtle directions.
Perhaps to our own inner world or perhaps even to our origin or way forward
Aad Nicolaas Sterrebaan, Photographer
i.cw. Albert Roessingh, Artist
August 12, 2009
