FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER MARGARET LANSINK
Margaret Lansink is a Dutch fine art photographer who explores who we are in relation to our social environment and family history. Her imagery is an open and honest reflection of her own feelings, doubts and struggles -inviting viewers to embark on a personal journey themselves. Margaret’s work predominantly shot in analog is also based on the beauty of imperfection and impermanence stemming from the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi.
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences please.
Influences vary but there are a few that I come back to time and time again.
Before starting my career as a photographer, I painted for a long time. Some of my influences still stem from that time,- Gerhard Richter and Lucian Freud for example. Currently I’m very taken by the beautiful works of Lorna Simpson, Marlene Dumas and Luc Tuymans. Simone de Beauvoir is very much part of my life as well, because of my latest series ‘Friction’.
How are the current trends in technology and innovation affecting your work as a creative?
The more modern technology enters our life, the more I seem to be attracted to old school photographic technique. I love the real hands-on way of producing visual imagery in the dark room and I’m working again with liquid light. I am also using various painting techniques to enhance the images with I.e. charcoal, gold-leaf and other natural pigments.
Tell us more about your creative process Margaret.
I see myself as an intuitive photographer, so almost all of my work has to do with life, my own life,
What do you think of the art world and how it works in general?
I see the art world as very traditional in its model. There is the line of collector, the gallery and the artist trying to connect, either physically at the gallery, via fairs and recently online. That has been the case for decades if not longer because I don’t think the online element has been ‘cracked’ yet but we need to find ways to do so. The strength of the physical meeting with the work and the artist will remain crucial but online can be an important tool to prepare that meeting.
Anything coming up that we should know about?
In September at Unseen Amsterdam I will be presenting a new book from my latest series ‘Friction’, and show with a new gallery (which name will be revealed shortly beforehand.
Also in September I will be part of an exhibition in the Siebold House in Leiden on the Japanese philosophy of ‘wabi sabi’ curated by Ibasho Gallery from Antwerp.
In October my work will be shown by Gallery XII Paris at Modern Art Paris and in November I have an invitation from the Jewish Historic Museum in Miami to present my series ‘The Kindness of One’ during Art Basel. A lot more to come!
Anything else you’d like to share?
My series Friction is very close to my heart as I hope it will have the power to nudge us into a different direction in how we live and how we interact with nature. There is also the ongoing friction between men and women which concerns me. As Simone de Beauvoir said; ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’. This feeling of inequality is still persistent in our society.