“I’m not that interested in reality; I want to represent reality in a way that would probably not exist without my involvement.”
“I see myself as a painter with a camera. I focus not just on capturing a scene, but on actively composing and building up an image, much like a painter would with a canvas and brush.”Danielle Kwaaitaal
Danielle Kwaaitaal is an Amsterdam-based photographer and visual artist whose work explores the transformative possibilities of the photographic image.
Water is the central element in her photographic work and acts as both subject and medium. “What I like about working with water is that chance always plays a role”, Kwaaitaal says. While in her early work, she often photographed people under water, in her more recent work, Flowers have become a recurring motif. Working in a self-built underwater studio, Kwaaitaal stages carefully composed still lifes in which flowers, vases, and other vessels are immersed in water. In the widely recognized series Florilegium, submerged blossoms recall the tradition of 17th-century botanical illustration while moving away from its documentary purpose. Subsequent series such as Ultraviolet, Fluorescent, Sole, and Mirage continue this exploration of light, reflection, and perception through underwater still-life compositions rendered with surreal clarity.
Her most recent body of work, Silverlining, marks a departure from the leitmotif of water towards terrestrial landscapes. Kwaaitaal returns to places that hold deep personal significance for her, exploring the dialogue between memory and direct observation.