Marco van Duyvendijk (1974)
Marco van Duyvendijk takes his photographs on the move. With a fascination for the (former) Eastern Bloc from his early teenage years, after the fall of the Iron Curtain he began travelling to the region regularly. Romania in particular has stolen his heart: he spent a year living there and speaks the language. 'What fascinates me about that society is the combination of an ancient culture with modern influences,' says Van Duyvendijk. 'The young people have a strong sense of the traditions with which they grew up, but also have such a sharp eye for the latest Western trends. That produces striking contrasts in an untamed country like Romania, when it is forced to grow up by leaps and bounds.'*
Personal contact is extremely important to Van Duyvendijk's portraits. In many cases, his subjects become friends and he stays in contact with them. In his photographs, this allows him to, rather than revealing the vulnerabilities of the subject, delve into the power these people have regardless of their circumstances. Van Duyvendijk's achievement is taking authentic photographs without the distance of documentary photography. 'I probably would never make images that everyone thought were beautiful, even if I wanted to.'
* all quotations: V. Klaassen, ‘Marco van Duyvendijk’, unlocked # 02 rabo kunstcollectie, Eindhoven 2005, p. 38
