Jules is a young Belgian artist based in Brussels. Since his childhood he is surrounded by art, which has encouraged him early on to express himself in a visual way. He has found a way to elevate a playful and natural urge to create into his own personal artistic language.

At thirty years old, he has several national and international exhibitions to his name. Where previously the young artist’s focus was on linen or cotton canvas in combination with acrylic or oil paint, he now also ventures into materials such as bronze with which he creates 3D objects.

Jules works in a driven manner around the concept of a never-ending search for the right path. He translates this by creating harmonious but complex mazes. In his work one finds an entrance and an exit, in which each finds or loses his own way. His work reflects on decision making and challenges the viewer to take different paths, each forming different words. However, there is only one correct solution. In this way, the artist playfully communicates about a universal yet personal theme; making choices.

We could even read this work as a metaphor for life. Even though there is only one way out which presents the right word yet other sidetracks also present us with alternative words. In this way Jules thus gives space to make our own choices and take an alternative route.

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Jamel Armand, born in The Hague in 1978, began his artistic career as a video artist, co-directing music videos under the name Starsquid alongside his girlfriend Chantel Koo and Frank van der Steen. Their collaborations with artists like BLØF, Rondé, and Suzan & Freek garnered attention. However, it was his enduring partnership with DI-RECT that marked a pivotal phase in his career, culminating in the music video “Nothing to Lose,” a product of his close friendship with singer Marcel Veenendaal.

His artistic journey traces back to his childhood, where his talent for drawing was evident. As a teenager, he aspired to work at Disney and become a filmmaker, honing his skills in animation and stop-motion films.

His formal education at the Cartoon School in Amsterdam and the Photography School in Rotterdam further shaped his creative vision, drawing inspiration from artists like Erwin Olaf and Annie Leibovitz.

Jamel possesses synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that merges senses, allowing him to see colors and shapes when he hears music. This unique ability infuses his work with vibrant, intuitive visuals, making music an integral part of his creative process. Drawing inspiration from his Indonesian roots, Jamel Armand has developed a profound connection with the tribes that may have been part of his ancestral lineage in past lives.

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“As a photographer and visual artist, I question boundaries, especially ones rooted in injustice and inequality. My art is a way of processing life, a mirror in which my feelings about the world are reflected. My creative process releases the stifling impact of internalized expectations, the most personal boundary of all, and I embark on the journey of becoming me. ” 

After finishing her MBA, Marinka Masséus studies in Buddhist Psychology guided her philosophical journey and the Photo Academy in Amsterdam stimulated her to channel her concepts and feelings into images. 

Marinka’s photography revolves around people and their place in society. Especially topics concerning injustice and inequality are a driving force behind her work. 

”Gender equality is a main theme running throughout my projects. I have always felt strongly about misogyny, the injustice of it outraged me even at a very young age and still does. It is only inevitable that my fierce feelings about this topic translate into my photography and fuel my inspiration.” 

In our gallery, we exhibit works from her two series produced in Iran : My Stealthy Freedom (2017) and Stealthy no more | Woman Life Freedom (2023) 

Awards 

Duane Michels MA-g Award 2022 | Fetart CIRCULATION(S) 2020 | 1st place Sony World Photography Awards 2019 – Professional Creative Category | 1st place LensCulture Portrait Awards 2019 | 1st place TPOTY 2018 | 1st place Zilveren Camera 2017 – International Documentary | 3rd place Kuala Lumpur Portrait Awards 2017 | winner LensCulture Portrait Awards 2017 | Recipient Lucie Award | IPA Photographer of the Year 2016 | 1st place Prix de la Photographie Paris 2015 | GUP NEW Dutch Talent 2014 and more. 

Publications 

GEO Magazine | The Observer |The Guardian | El País | La Stampa | Magazine European Photography | Discovery |Il Post | United Nations | National Geographic | Die Zeit | Stern | Israel Times | La Stampa | Tages Anzeiger | HuffPost | Vanity Fair | Blouin Art Info | LINDA | Musée Magazine | Pf | Marie Claire | Jan Magazine | the Daily Mail | Tagesschau | Metro UK | Sofia Press | Marie Claire | Courrier International | El País Semanal | Observer Magazine | HANT Magazine | BJP British Journal of Photography – Portrait of Humanity and more. 

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Following a professional career of more than 25 years in the textile sector, Didier Engels decided to move into the field of artistic photography. His passion for ports and their surroundings has led him to give photographic expression to that world while retaining his eye for the material that is a legacy of his textile background.

His first exhibitions being a success, Didier began to turn his focus to explore docks throughout Europe and to capture their visual distinctiveness.

Cargo hulls and containers are the focal point of his attention, and he trains his camera mainly on these subjects. His work has been exhibited to great acclaim at art fairs and galleries that represent him in Europe and the United States.

One of the main features of his work on quays and containers is to divert visuals that are essentially graphic and coloured, in order to give them a more artistic dimension. He starts out with a concrete visual, only to move it towards a more abstract image.

The eye will be drawn first by the colours, the alignments and the graphic nature of the image. It is only afterwards that the eye will perceive the underlying element, namely, the container or boat hull.

His major interest lies in the materials, patinas, alignments, colours, reflections, and above all the graphic and geometric aspects of the world of quays.

Such graphic captures are a veritable addiction for Didier, who has other themes in development for the future, even though the subject of ports is still far from exhausted.

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This is a story about the collaboration of two great minds: one, a photographer who captures the incredible beauty of the unusual, with cultural undertones that draw attention to humanity’s innate power, and the other, a fashion scientist who specializes in crafting unconventional garments that tell unique narratives.

Introducing photographer Justin Dingwall and fashion designer Roman Handt.

Justin Dingwall and Handt recently worked on a groundbreaking project entitled Rerouted — a fashion narrative that encapsulates the present-day restrictions on travel through striking images of motorcycles, planes, and bicycles, while simultaneously capturing the unexpected paths we all need to travel for society to progress.

Daring to be Different

Justin Dingwall grabbed a camera and studied photography at the Tshwane University of Technology, graduating Cum Laude in 2004. This South African photographer allowed his creativity to wander on the less known, focusing particularly on social issues relevant to his native country.

“To me, diversity is what makes humanity interesting.” As Justin Dingwall states, his interest lies in the unique and the different. The artist has since received numerous accolades and international acclaim, including the IPA – International Photography Awards 2013, the Sasol New Signatures 2014, and the SA Taxi Foundation Art Award 2015.

With his self-titled label, Roman Handt is one of the first voices in the menswear design movement, breaking down conventional gender stereotypes. The South African-based gender-neutral brand won Handt the Director-General’s Overall Excellence Award presented
by the Department of Science and Innovation in 2019.

Both Dingwall and Handt share a passion for creating narratives that push for advocacy on stereotypes that need to be explored and questioned.

Creative Process Driven by Advocacy

In Justin Dingwall’s photographs, he seeks to portray figures that can advocate for a particular cause, often aiming for non-conventional perspectives on African beauty and humanity. The works are highly emotive, going beyond the professional and resonating with
the audience the wish and need to understand that beauty is not conforming.

By contrast, Roman Handt employs African textile and intricately woven patterns to express a voice. A visual artist on his own, Handt approaches in a chaotic fashion and integrates it into his construction process. To Handt, creating garments that combine South African male
stereotypes with modern urban life produces a new type of hybrid male.

The Role to Express Unique Voices

Known for expressing African beauty in nonconforming ways, Justin Dingwall embodies beauty in an unconventional way. He has captured beautiful portraits of albinism and vitiligo, which are still taboo and unfortunately regularly discriminated against.

The artist has employed unusual tools such as paper and water, as well as animals such as butterflies, snakes, and birds, with contrasting backgrounds to convey his message.

With Handt on their newest collaborative effort, Rerouted allowed these artists to create visually striking pieces using metal toys and travel bags. The travel bags transform into clothing, the airplanes into headpieces, and the bicycles into glasses.

This dedication reflects on the overall picture, which shows that travel is constant and is an integral part of humanity, whether it be constantly changing and rerouting us in new directions or freedom to go to wherever one needs to go.

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Justin Dingwall takes photos with a voice to crush the stereotypes of beauty while highlighting the power of diversity, and Roman Handt fashions locally made modern garments that push gender boundaries, allowing one to experiment on one’s own and explore.

The two artists together represent a vital force in contemporary art and advocacy. Check out Justin Dingwall and his photography on Instagram.

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The main subject here is the naked human body, which is not interpreted in a grotesque or sexual way; rather, it is considered an extension of the environment it resides in, conveying the freedom and beauty of the human spirit.

Juliana Buruleva is an artist and photographer based in Barcelona who pushes human body boundaries as a means of expression, opening up possibilities for something unexpected and special, trusting in circumstance, and letting events unfold as they should.

Inspiration is Never Too Late

Born and raised in Russia, Julia Buruleva earned a degree in fine art photography from the Saint Petersburg University of Art and Culture. For ten years, her career was devoted to being a commercial photographer. Perhaps a calling, she decided to quit and travel the world, eventually settling in Barcelona.

Barcelona, known for breathtaking architecture, a vibrant culture, and incredible heritage roots, has put Buruleva at the center of an inspirational transformation. A few of her personal art projects have been influenced by the city, such as “Beach is a New Theatre” and “Be Part Of Art.”

Buruleva, having done editorial work for major publishers L’Officiel, InSTYLE, and Rolling Stone, stays a surrealist who combines photography and performance art with strong, unconventional aesthetics that portray the models in different environments using a variety of tools.

Human Body as an ‘Aesthetic Particle’

In Julia Buruleva’s works, the naked human body is a “particle in the world of aesthetics,” combining hers, or another’s, to create surreal artworks with outstanding depth that capture a world of beauty and mystery.

She has posed in striking bold colors on a seemingly plain background to highlight a “Selfie Isolation”. She then incorporated those images into many breathtaking landscapes, such as volcanic sands, for her latest project, “Synchronization.”

A swimming self-portrait project deemed “Pic Of The Day” by Photo Vogue features a tree at a lake in Barcelona to reconnect with nature as a reaction to the lockdowns experienced during the pandemic.

There is no heavy digital editing except for basic retouching for the most part. Instead, Buruleva focuses on the set, which is treated as a theatre stage where models, tools, and backgrounds are all part of the process and utilized to create truly fascinating works.

The Need to be Free

The naked human body in art is not just a physical form but also an expression of what it means to be free. Julia Buruleva’s willingness to venture outside of society’s norms has allowed her to become more experimental than she ever thought she could be.

Once she had given herself permission to explore beyond what she thought she could do, she became more and went further with it. Through her art, Buruleva inspires fellow creatives not to be afraid of the human body and utilize it to generate unique ideas that will inspire many more.

Using unconventional photography, her art is influenced by cultural references, especially in her daily life. We see a playful perspective of humanity in an admittedly confusing, incomprehensible world through these surreal pieces.

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The human body is beautiful, and finding out how it looks through Julia Buruleva’s eyes makes it more fascinating. As a result of her love of art, culture, photography, and theatre, she has created some of the most stunning conceptual works of today’s generation. Check out Buruleva and her works of art on Instagram.

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Patrick Van Der Elst is a world-renowned artist known for his evocative and dreamlike depictions of consumer society and its discontents. His work encompasses a variety of themes, from plastic babies to cars wrapped in newspaper to female genitalia.

Despite his sometimes macabre themes, his art is beautiful and thought-provoking – confronting, but in a way that makes one think rather than flinch.

Stepping out

Patrick Van Der Elst is a highly accomplished artist, but photography was not his first choice of medium. He claims to be more comfortable with a scalpel in his hand than a camera, and this is perhaps what makes his photographic work so interesting: it’s not the product of a professional photographer but rather the documentation of an artist exploring new territory.

Though he’s a self-proclaimed untrained photographer, Van Der Elst’s images are anything but amateurish. His photos are often staged and lit to create a specific mood or atmosphere, lending them an air of authenticity and verisimilitude.

The themes of Van Der Elst

Van Der Elst’s images are not spur-of-the-moment shots but are instead the result of weeks, even months, of planning and preparation, which leads to some of the most surreal and thought-provoking images in contemporary art.

Womanhood and sexuality

Though his works are not dominated by any particular theme, Van Der Elst is often seen as exploring issues of womanhood and sexuality. His work blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, posing questions about the role of advertising and consumerism in defining our concept of femininity.

One of his most famous pieces, Look me in the eyes (2021), is a portrait of a young woman covered in eyeballs of various sizes. The image is both disconcerting and thought-provoking, forcing the viewer to confront their notions of beauty and femininity.

“Is it precisely there that we cannot help but put our eyes? Is this a warning from the girl? Leave my body, my nudity, my sensuality out of it. Or is it exactly the opposite idea. Put your eyes all over me,” Van Der Elst remarks about this artwork.

Watching and being watched

Without delving into the conspiratorial, Van Der Elst persistently touches on the idea of being watched and observed. His work often has a voyeuristic quality, as if we are peering into the artist’s subconscious.

“A look is something else,” says Van Der Elst of his work Blue eyes. “It takes the shape of the eyelid, the tears, the position of the eyebrow, the contraction of the skin muscles, the appearance of wrinkles and frowns, imperceptible movements to create depth and emotion.

There is a whole reading of a multitude of information that allows us to read and exchange a look.”

In Reverse panopticon, he plays on the idea of the panopticon itself – a type of prison where inmates are constantly watched by a single guard. The work features a naked woman surrounded by large eyes; all pointed in her direction.

“Perhaps we are all that young woman who is vainly trying to preserve her privacy,” says Van Der Elst – and he may be right.

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Beloved for its dream-clad themes and offbeat yet beautiful scenes, Van Der Elst’s work has been exhibited since 2011 in Spain, Belgium, France, and his birthplace of Brussels. He was awarded First selection from the Arte Laguna Prize in 2014 and continues to receive invitations to exhibit in both group and solo shows.

Van Der Elst is highly active on his Instagram page, where he exhibits works that do not appear in other places on the web.

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There’s something uniquely genuine with Derrick Ofosu Boateng’s digital portraits; a proud look of Ghanaian culture rarely seen in the world view. Bursting with highly saturated and contrasting colors, and striking poses mixed with whimsically placed objects result in some of the most energetic and inspiring pieces of art in this generation.

Shot and edited with an iPhone, Boateng’s photographs retain a meticulously composed yet heavily stylized look into vibrant Ghana, a perspective Boateng has developed entirely through his love of his hometown.

Foundation Through Love

Growing up in Ghana and currently based in its capital Accra, Boateng has always had a passion for his culture; preferring to highlight his people, their rich culture, their peace, and their energetic approach towards everyday life.

However, being an artist was not a simple choice to make at the time, as it is more common to have a technically stable office job that will sustain a family’s needs.

Originally, Boateng used Instagram only to take casual pictures of people he saw in his everyday life. Nonetheless, he soon realized that there was potential to his work once feedback started to trickle in. He started using his father’s iPhone and improved his craft further. It is through digital art that Boateng was able to awaken his creative potential.

Developing the Craft

Photographs of Derrick Boateng’s awe-inspiring works are created with a mixture of photos taken with an iPhone and digital retouching where he transforms his photos into vibrant masterpieces.

Why use a phone? Simply put, Boateng sees the phone as something most people also see, fast and convenient. This also hankers back to his early beginnings, when he casually took photos of everyday life using his father’s iPhone. Phone photography allows Boateng to be more free, compared to regular cameras that, to him, restricts his movements.

The playful colors contribute a huge part in Boateng’s creative process, mentioning that colors have a way to influence feelings. The creative use of colors allows him to highlight the beauty and vibrancy of his people, thier culture, and environment.

Although Boateng’s photographs are surreal and at times dreamlike, there is a straightforward goal: to communicate the everyday life of Africans through the lens of a fellow African.

Voice Through Art

A keen observer of his surroundings, Derrick Ofosu Boateng has grown tired of seeing his people painted in a negative light via the limited lens of the media. Thus, Boateng’s creative journey has revolved in shifting the narrative towards Africa; a bright perspective featuring his people through vibrant colors that give homage to patterns familiar in African art.

The intimate images Boateng captures may have been taken in Ghana, but they are representative of life everywhere on the continent. African culture, lifestyles, and behaviors are represented, thereby “changing the story that is told of Africa.”

Through the emergence of his art, Boateng is also hopeful of an art industry that is more broadly accepted in Ghana and across the continent. He also hopes to inspire young African artists to engage in the art scene.

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A striking blend of honesty and dreamlike that somehow provides comfort to the spectator is how Boateng’s works can be described as. You can feel the love Boateng has for his people, and his voice speaks loud and proud through his art.

Derrick Ofosu Boateng has made an online presence since 2018 through his unique works of art. Follow Boateng and his artworks on Instagram.

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Vicky Martin is a UK-based award-winning fine art photographer who focuses on individuality and the emotions evoked by fantasy and reality-based scenarios. Her work explores identity through the staging of situations and the creation of reality for strong female characters who display conflicting emotions and circumstances.

Through her art, Martin seeks to evoke questions within the viewer’s mind, which ultimately depends on the viewer’s identity and perception.

Finding the Perfect Fit

A natural creative and a UK native, Vicky Martin was looking for the right fit for her creative voice. She eventually found the path that fits her creativity through art and photography, which she studied in the 90s. In realizing that this was her passion, she went on to study photography.

Martin’s works, which primarily explore the perspective of strong female characters, important themes such as conformity to stereotypical expectations of femininity, vulnerability, and self-doubt, have been widely published and exhibited around the globe.

She was recently awarded Portrait Photographer of The Year 2020 at the Minimalist Photography Awards for her work entitled “Selfhood.” This project was inspired by the proverb “The Eyes Are The Window To The Soul” and was meant to challenge the need to focus on the eyes in portraiture.

Among her other accolades include winning the Chromatic Awards 2018 for Professional Beauty and Fashion, the All About Photo Magazine issue for Colors in 2018, and the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards 2018 for Best Single Image in the Professional Fine Art Category.

Conformity to Popular Belief

Vicky Martin is known for her innovative, norm-breaking approach to art, showcasing strong female characters in staged scenarios with a fantastical appeal that interrupts and challenges the audience’s perception.

Through staged realities, Martin uniquely directs the models with garments and positions to reflect the culture and history she wants to convey. Her work on the studio-based project “Hollywoodland,” for example, communicates both the aesthetics of the era as well as the deep gender issues that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s.

Finding Strength in Vulnerability

Throughout her art, Vicky Martin demonstrates how powerful a woman’s voice can be, emphasizing how themes of fantasy, reality, strength, and vulnerability have the capacity to stimulate an audience’s understanding of feminism.

In her series “Curiouser and Curiouser,” she takes inspiration from Alice, a strong female with self-doubts regarding her identity and what other people think. In her “Not in Kansas” series, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz exhibits strength and independence, but her journey allowed Martin to create narratives that blur the boundaries between imagination and reality.

It is common in Martin’s works to find characters who wrestle with ideas of confidence, determination, and boldness, juxtaposed with feelings of isolation, detachment, and fear.

Although each work contributes to the narrative developed across her series, an element of ambiguity also invites the viewer to interpret them on their own.

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Vicky Martin uniquely represents the female voice boldly, and she is definitely one of the contemporary artists to look out for today. Check out Martin and her photography here..

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Consider traditional garments intentionally presented with black backgrounds in simple yet elaborate portraits, evoking classicism such as those of Caravaggio. As the artist lets the rawness of the artwork speak for itself, you are struck by the poetic contrast the dark adds to the wonderfully colored garments.

Iwajla Klinke is a renowned Berlin-based contemporary artist whose work marries the traditional with the modern. Her pieces are timeless works of art that will be appreciated for generations to come.

Rooted in Tradition

Iwajla Klinke was born in Greifswald, Germany in 1976. She studied art history and political science at the Freie Universitaet in Berlin, as well as Jewish and Islamic studies.

After working for various TV stations in Tel Aviv, Gaza, Jordan, Italy, and Poland, Klinke made notable documentaries and transitioned into artistic photography. She has always been passionate about bringing to light the different customs and traditions of different cultures around the globe.

Klinke has exhibited her work worldwide, including in Paris, Monaco, Barcelona, and Jerusalem. Her affinity with traditional clothing manifests itself through imagery, and she was awarded the Neuflize OBC Personnel Prize in 2014.

A Never-Ending Search for Creativity

In search of ancient rituals and customs still alive today, Iwajla Klinke traveled to small villages in Lusatian and photographed traditional Sorbian customs. Her search took her to remote valleys in Tyrol, Scottish islands, as well as to Brazil, Mexico, and Africa.

Klinke’s artworks demonstrate the reverence that allows her to achieve a delicate balance of cultural respect and contemporary appeal. Some of Klinke’s famous exhibitions include “Journey to Jerusalem. Artistic Positions on Religion, Tradition and Taboo,” in which she devoted herself to the customs of Christianity in Sicily.

Showcasing young adults and adolescents in striking and bold clothing, Klinke sees puberty as “the time before a transformation,” and her work encompasses more than sexual identity. Children would intuitively understand their meaning in the artwork by seeing themselves as the center of rituals.

The selected artworks emerge from multiple photoshoots, hundreds of rejected photographs, and very little manipulation. This is why Klinke is one of today’s most organic digital artists.

The Role to Encapsulate Tradition

Iwajla Klinke’s art is kept in its purest form by using only natural light and conducting most of her shoots in her Kreuzberg studio. With a dark background and simple but intentional portraits, the sacred clothing speaks for themselves, allowing tradition and culture to be communicated.

On her unending quest to uncover sacred traditions around the world, Klinke unearths forgotten cultural clothing from the past to immortalize them through her art. Hopefully, the timeless nature of her work will infinitely resonate with people.

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We describe Iwajla Klinke’s works as intimate and raw. She has an eye for unconventional beauty, reflected in the models and in the way she shoots. We are immersed in the wonders of sacred traditions through her art and how, despite the differences, they can bring us together. View Klinke’s works of art on Instagram.

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