Photographer Maarten Rots: the abstract in the mundane (aotw 5/20)

In this weeks episode of our „Artist of the week“ category will focus on the work of the photographer Maarten Rots. We take a closer look at his pictures and clarify how he came from film to photography and learn about his life on the street.

the abstract qualities of photographer Maarten Rots

Maarten Rots (Aalten, 1982) is a Dutch artist working with photography as a medium. His photographs reveal abstract qualities that can be found in everyday life, often with architecture as a prominent ingredient and a strong focus on composition, texture and color.

From short film to photography

Upon receiving his BFA from the audio-visual department VAV at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in 2010 his main focus was on video as well as working with found footage such as slides and super 8 film. At the time his short films were screened at numerous film festivals around the world – frequently nominated and awarded. By 2015 still photography had become his preferred medium and he started self-publishing March & Rock, a quarterly photography magazine with his own work.

through Europe with the camper van

Maarten Rots travels Europe with a camper van to uncover abstract images in daily surroundings, mostly dealing with the effects of light and shadow on textured architectural objects. Intentionally utilizing the flattening effect of the camera he introduces spatial ambiguity and often provides a minimal sense of scale, which leads to an image that reveals the abstract in the mundane. The resulting photographs often lean towards graphic imagery and are commonly confused for paintings or drawings upon first look. A quality he deliberately looks for in his compositions and which he emphasizes by printing on matte, textured paper.

Prints and Magazines by photographer Maarten Rots in our Online Shop