Femke Reijerman

My photography does not depict actual reality as such; rather, it portrays a ‘reality’ as experienced and constructed by me. The images are a memory of a place I have never been. By piecing together various seemingly random elements – or, in turn, by consciously casting them aside – I am able to create a new, often abstract realism full of colour and tactility in my images. These are then all painstakingly created by hand and without the use of digital technology. An image comes together much like a sculpture does: I am constantly chiselling away at various bits and pieces, continuously constructing and composing. I often play with the traditional rules of what perspective should be. The works are full of contradiction, most notably in the way I make use of often surprising and somewhat unorthodox combinations of colour and light. This helps me to create illusory and dream-like atmospheres and moods. The viewer finds that the two-dimensional photo in front of them has unexpectedly transformed into a three-dimensional tactile world in which to reach and feel, subtly and ethereally enveloping themselves with a new sensation, with a sense of wonder and marvel.