Deutsch
English
“You can actually speak Dutch with people who descend from African slaves in the middle of the jungle in South America which is such a weird thing to look at in terms of history. (...) What caught my eye was the very traditional way of living, the beauty of overwhelming nature, and the notion of the strange lines of faith which tied together my own history and theirs, in the form of our mutual connections to Africa and the Netherlands.” (© Viviane SASSEN)
"Renowned fashion photographer Viviane SASSEN's photo book, 'Pikin Slee', is inspired by the exotic beauty of an isolated Surinamese village. Known for her unique approach to fashion photography, Viviane SASSEN has taken yet another stylistic detour in her latest collection, which focuses on the inhabitants of a remote village on the Upper Suriname River.
Viviane SASSEN's lens captures the natural beauty of the very traditional way of living, where mundane objects can appear extraordinary against the background of nature's overwhelming presence.
Largely shot in black and white, the informal photos also explore Viviane SASSEN's personal connection to the village, which is inhabited by the ancestors of former slaves who escaped Dutch rule.
'This project is an exploration of the beauty of the everyday,' writes Viviane SASSEN in her introduction, 'an investigation of the sculptural qualities of the ordinary.'
The many fans of renowned Dutch photographer will find much to contemplate and savor in this latest collection by an artist who constantly challenges herself and her audience." (publisher's note, © Prestel Verlag, 2014)
"Suriname Dreams - Kenya-Raised Photographer Viviane SASSEN’s Colorful Study of a South American Village
Renowned fashion photographer and artist Viviane SASSEN turns her lens to the remote Surinamese jungle village of Pikin Slee.
Taken from a new series of work which will debut at Amsterdam's 'Unseen Photo Fair' 2013, this meditative yet spontaneous series of b/w and color images explores the uncanny and unknowable side to her subjects - and indeed herself.
Viviane SASSEN is famed for reinvigorating the realm of fashion photography with her work for Purple, Dazed & Confused and Acne Paper.
Born in Amsterdam, she spent much of her childhood in Kenya; the experience is reflected in her lauded 2011 body of work, 'Parasomnia', a surreal trip through unidentified African locales that reflects her memories of growing up. 'Pikin Slee' is located on the Upper Suriname River, deep within the rainforest. Its 4,000 inhabitants are mostly members of the Saramacca tribe, ancestors of the Maroons who escaped slavery on the Dutch plantations in the 18th century.
Viviane SASSEN first visited Pikin Slee in the summer of 2012.(© nowness, 2013)
"Renowned fashion photographer Viviane SASSEN's photo book, 'Pikin Slee', is inspired by the exotic beauty of an isolated Surinamese village. Known for her unique approach to fashion photography, Viviane SASSEN has taken yet another stylistic detour in her latest collection, which focuses on the inhabitants of a remote village on the Upper Suriname River.
Viviane SASSEN's lens captures the natural beauty of the very traditional way of living, where mundane objects can appear extraordinary against the background of nature's overwhelming presence.
Largely shot in black and white, the informal photos also explore Viviane SASSEN's personal connection to the village, which is inhabited by the ancestors of former slaves who escaped Dutch rule.
'This project is an exploration of the beauty of the everyday,' writes Viviane SASSEN in her introduction, 'an investigation of the sculptural qualities of the ordinary.'
The many fans of renowned Dutch photographer will find much to contemplate and savor in this latest collection by an artist who constantly challenges herself and her audience." (publisher's note, © Prestel Verlag, 2014)
"Suriname Dreams - Kenya-Raised Photographer Viviane SASSEN’s Colorful Study of a South American Village
Renowned fashion photographer and artist Viviane SASSEN turns her lens to the remote Surinamese jungle village of Pikin Slee.
Taken from a new series of work which will debut at Amsterdam's 'Unseen Photo Fair' 2013, this meditative yet spontaneous series of b/w and color images explores the uncanny and unknowable side to her subjects - and indeed herself.
Viviane SASSEN is famed for reinvigorating the realm of fashion photography with her work for Purple, Dazed & Confused and Acne Paper.
Born in Amsterdam, she spent much of her childhood in Kenya; the experience is reflected in her lauded 2011 body of work, 'Parasomnia', a surreal trip through unidentified African locales that reflects her memories of growing up. 'Pikin Slee' is located on the Upper Suriname River, deep within the rainforest. Its 4,000 inhabitants are mostly members of the Saramacca tribe, ancestors of the Maroons who escaped slavery on the Dutch plantations in the 18th century.
Viviane SASSEN first visited Pikin Slee in the summer of 2012.(© nowness, 2013)
- Book design
- Sybren (SYB) KUIPER
- Format
- HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 24,5 x 28,5 x 1,5 cm., 120 pp., color ills., text language: English