sylvia van der Reijken

I am Sylvia, 20 years. I am in my second year of stuyding photography on at the HKU (Hoge School Kunsten Utrecht). Living in this world I’ve always experienced people around me being busy or going somewhere while I feel the need to take my time and stand still by what I am doing. This is the result of living near a big city my entire life. I’ve struggled with this because I had the feeling I had no goal or passion. Even though I still have these fears I can say that I can translate them into a fascination for the opposite, peace and quiet. I am trying to capture this by going places where I can find my rest. I prefer being alone more than others normally would because I can often only relate to my own thoughts. I have the tendency to listen to my gut and therefore my work is very intuitive. Because my negative feelings can overrule my other feelings, I have a preference for obscure imagery that will make most people uncomfortable. I apply this in my own work by not romanticising images. On one hand my fascinations lay with things that have been neglected, I find beauty in these decaying subjects. On the other hand I’m really fascinated by the spiritual world and figuring out what my place in such a world is. I don’t claim to be a photographer as I also like other medium. I’ve worked with film before and I like to work with paint as well. I photograph because I feel that my camera has given me the best opportunity to express my views on the world and fascinations. I want my audience to experience my work rather than try to understand it. This because my work is a reflection of how I am trying to understand the world. By looking at my work I’m inviting you to participate in my perspectives.