From June 28 to August 24, 2024, the exhibition Where We Bloom by Jesse van den Berg is on show at Pennings Foundation, about intimacy, queerness and feeling at home with each other.
The photographer speaks.
Step into Jesse van den Berg’s Utopia. Where vulnerability is celebrated. Through photography they portray a diverse view on queerness. Jesse invites you to explore their vision of Utopia. A place where human and nature are interwoven harmoniously. Let the accompanying sounds carry you away and forget about the world around you.
‘I vividly remember being afraid that I would never find love. I missed representation and beautiful stories about queer people. I was even afraid to tell my child psychologist that I suffered from OCD because I feared not being straight, so I made up other reasons that seemed logical to me.
Now, at 28, I am thankfully far removed from these thoughts. My queerness is now something I celebrate and that has become a beautiful part of my life in many ways. I have also had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people in my community who are proud of themselves precisely because of the themes that set them apart from 'the norm'.
I want to showcase this queer joy through my photography. With photography, I can create a world where we celebrate our existence. In our vulnerability, softness, and diversity. This is a place where we can bloom. A place where we can be ourselves and recognize ourselves in each other in various ways.
There are also universal themes present. Consider the search for how you relate to intimacy, (self-)love, and the relationship with your own body and that of others. With this exhibition, I hope you will be a little kinder to yourself and those around you, and that you forget the negative thoughts we all can have for a moment.’
Jesse van den Berg (1996) studied Fine Arts & Design (MA) at Academie St. Joost in Den Bosch and graduated with the project 'Reconstructing Queer Intimacy,' a project that is still ongoing. Their photos were published in Volkskrant Magazine, Vogue Italia, VICE International, NPO2, Curatedbygirls, Winq & Wül Magazine. In 2021, their work was showcased at Pennings Foundation in the group exhibition Naked//Now. Zie blog #39
With thanks to: The Creative Industries Fund NL
Opening: Saturday, June 29, 2024
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