BASTIAAN WOUDT: HIDDEN

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We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new exhibition ‘Hidden’ – the first UK exhibition of Dutch artist Bastiaan Woudt (b.1987).

Please view our catalogue, our online exhibition, or our 3D virtual tour of the show. 

Woudt has enjoyed a meteoric rise to success within the world of international contemporary photography and these images are a bravura demonstration of his signature style, at once classic, graphic, mysterious and modern.

In each image the artist balances contrasting elements of form, texture and tone to create a fluid and human geometry. His large black and white photographs are infused with a timelessness that comes from his study of the artists he calls the Old Masters of photography, and his work references Surrealism, fashion and documentary. However, through sophisticated camera and post-production techniques, he gives his own wholly contemporary twist to the classic subject, whether it be the nude figure, a portrait or landscape.

“I use a lot of grain and out-of-focus areas which give feeling to photography,” says Woudt. “I shoot digital but the inspiration of analogue photography is very important and I think I have found a perfect way of having all the advantages of shooting digital but with the complete aesthetics of the analogue photo. I chose to work in black and white because I think it is very important when creating art that it’s something unique and something not about reality. Taking away colour, that helps in getting there.”

Woudt has had numerous solo exhibitions at galleries in the Netherlands, China and the USA. His work is represented in private collections worldwide and has been included in museum exhibitions at the Louvre in Paris, the Hilversum Museum in Holland, and the Museum Singer in Laren.