AMSTERDAM.- Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents the Foam_3h exhibition Mindscapes by Saskia Dommisse. The images in this series, which Dommisse herself calls ‘landscapes of the imagination’, have their origins in landscape, but have been reduced to abstract fields of colour by the photographer. The images are intentionally minimalist and devoid of figurative elements, inviting viewers to supply their own interpretation.

For the Mindscapes series Dommisse has allowed herself to be inspired by her surroundings. By framing subjects such as the sky, sea or landscape in such a way that all narrative elements are reduced to fields of colour, they lose their original form and function. The resulting images become a kind of ‘landscape of the imagination’ in which Dommisse primarily tries to reproduce the feeling that a landscape invokes. The images that make up this series were created individually and only afterwards united as a series. Of particular interest is the portrait of her partner with closed eyes which Dommisse has added to her series: the portrait serves as a signpost intended to make it easier for the viewer to read the other images.

Dommisse aims at simplicity, spaciousness and serenity in her work. This results in an unusual and aesthetic form of minimalism. Photography for her is almost an act of meditation, a search for emptiness. This creates the abstraction which is so characteristic of her work. She does not use photography to register reality but to record her feelings in relation to things. Dommisse seeks to depict everyday life in a new way.

Saskia Dommisse graduated from the Photo Academy Amsterdam in 2008. In that same year she was proclaimed ‘Overall Winner’ of the Photo Academy Awards. The jury chose her because her work is ‘different’ and ‘innovative’ and explores the limits of photography. Her work has been exhibited at a number of venues including a group show at LOODS 6 in Amsterdam, the Noorderlicht festival in Leeuwarden and Galerie 32–34 in Amsterdam.