"Below Sea Level: Landscapes of Memory and Water" explores the hidden, fragile landscapes behind the dikes of Northern Netherlands, a land existing below sea level, sustained only by human ingenuity. This series is a visual meditation on the vulnerability and beauty of a terrain perpetually balanced between land and water, memory and reality.
By blending photography and painterly techniques, I create a dreamlike, abstract interpretation of this unique landscape. Color fields, textures, and layering transform reality into a poetic world, where the hues of the Wadden Sea (greys, blues, greens, purples) and the geometric lines of dikes and canals merge. Subtle imperfections and distortions emphasize the ephemeral nature of this land, suspended between protection and surrender.
Inspired by the Ploeg Group and modern photomanipulation, this hybrid art form reflects the relationship between humans and nature, and the subjectivity of memory in a landscape forever teetering on the edge
