Annelies Damen
Annelies Damen (1968), after her studies at Nyenrode University (BBA), started a promising career in the business world on a high level (sales, marketing and real estate). But there was an inner call: “Photography became my main focus while traveling through Africa for a year from Morocco to South Africa. I decided to change my career and started a study at the Academy of Photography in Amsterdam. I love traveling around the world, especially in Africa. The women on this continent fascinate me: magical, proud, independent as well as sensual. From my first long journey in Africa onwards women became the central theme in my photography.” In 2006 Damen graduated at the Academy of Photography in Amsterdam. From her studio based in the same city, the world is her working field for autonomous photo projects. Using this medium, Damen has sensitively captured strong female imagery from a myriad of cultures, which connects both to complement their surrounding landscape, creating a sort of sublime interaction in her work. As an artist she demonstrates the symphony between the female form in natural or architectonic settings, creating a painterly meeting of shadows, shapes and lines that are steeped in poetic beauty. Annelies has exhibited worldwide, including shows in New York, Paris, Mumbai, London and Amsterdam. Her work is widely collected and has been exhibited in various institutions including SCOPE Miami, Sotheby’s, Fotofever Paris, Rademakers Gallery, White Space and Gorcums Museum.
