The series is inspired by the aesthetic essays of the Japanese writer Jun'ichiro Tanizaki who compares light and darkness in the Japanese tradition with western culture, as a collision between the shadows of traditional Japan and the dazzling light of the modern age. The West is presented as continuously searching for light and clarity, while the subtle and subdued forms of oriental art and literature are seen by Tanizaki to represent an appreciation of shadow and subtlety, closely relating to the traditional Japanese concept of sabi ('the beauty of imperfection').
Growing up with a film director as dad, camera's, images, films, were just part of my daily life and being exposed to various forms of image processing during my childhood helped me to develop my visual sense early on. At university I graduated in archaeology and in addition I studied cultural and social anthropology. Through my photographic work I found a way to express my passion for people and culture, in portraits and street photography.
