I could try to write down why Johan Nieuwenhuize's work is so good. Why, every time I look at it, I am struck by the merciless quasi-abstract images he presents me with. But I would rather not do that, because then I would have to analyze his images and say something about his working method. The only thing I can say about it is that when Johan Nieuwenhuize's prints are placed in a series, a shiver runs through the images. In their simplicity, they command respect, silent and merciless.
I will tell you a little more.
Nieuwenhuize is a photographer/artist. The series of c-prints in the collection are part of an extensive and ever-growing archive. Johan Nieuwenhuize calls this archive IMG_ (IMG_ is an abbreviation for Image, which is used in file names of digital cameras). The photos in this archive are snapshots (taken with a compact camera), but that is deceptive. During a “photo tour” through the city and countryside, Nieuwenhuize constantly focuses on details. Sometimes even on square centimeters. His focus on things can be both casual and coincidental, as well as purposeful and premeditated. Van Nieuwenhuize's images radiate abstraction and often deny scale and dimensions. As a viewer, you figure it out for yourself; you make your own associations with reality. In addition, van Nieuwenhuize does not let you look at just one photo. He turns his images into a continuous series in which each image has an association with one or more other images. As a viewer, you naturally decide for yourself what you want to see and make your own connections between the images.
For van Nieuwenhuize, making these connections and associations is the core of IMG_. He always shows his works in series.
Johan Nieuwenhuize (Oost-Souburg, 1980) works in Den Haag.
