Renata Dutrée graduated from the Photo Academy in Amsterdam in December 2019. She specializes in Fine Art photography.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Memento Mori”, Latin for “remember you must die”, is an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. The point of this reminder isn’t to be morbid or promote fear, but to inspire, motivate and clarify.
Seneca urged in his Moral Letters to Lucilius”, “Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day…The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.”
Whilst this inevitable ending of the life cycle is the one universal inescapable commonality, it seems that the life cycle of discrimination, racism and exclusion has no end. Looking back on history, it seems to be the everlasting story of mankind.
It hurts me to see that so many people have to live under the yoke of racism, homophobia, and misogyny and will inevitably have to face an immense amount of discrimination in our society. My work evolves around this topic and I try to balance life’s books in a visual way.
I’m fascinated by the deeply hidden pain of traumas in our minds and hope to reveal something about their existence via my photography. The grief and anguish that arises from not being able or allowed to talk about that trauma and therefore has consequences for one’s self-image and self-esteem. It is difficult to accept yourself and develop a positive self-image when society looks down on you because of your sexual orientation or gender identity, your skin color or because you are a victim of sexual abuse.
With my Fineart portraits and still lifes I draw attention to the possible aftermath of difficulties that we may encounter in our lives and they transcend the individual story and reflect on what is happening around us.
The recurring themes in my work deal with hiding and/or revealing and the feminine versus the masculine. I’m looking for this particular point in time where one is on the edge of opening up or choosing to remain silent.
The narrative often gently unfolds in the expressions of the subjects or in their postures. There is a sense of mystery, things that are left unrevealed. It evokes feelings of longing, escape and might-have-beens.
With my images I both hope to arouse the viewer’s curiosity about the other and create awareness of the presence of suppressed grief and anguish. It is an invitation to take a step back, zoom out and see life from a higher vantage point than your own, without prejudice. If we are able to change our value judgments, I strongly believe it will reduce the seemingly insurmountable differences between people and races.
Hopefully my work also offers solace to viewers who might experience my imagery as something close to life as they know it.
AWARDS
- LifeFramer Colors 2021, Editor’s Pick with “Blue Moves”
- Masters of Photography, Photo Competition Black& White, Highly commended, “Portrait of Jude”
- Nominated DuPho SO Award 2021
- Sienna Creative Photo Awards 2021 shortlisted
- Lensculture Portrait Awards 2020 finalist with “Daniel With Flowers”, single image
- Lensculture Black&White Photography Awards 2020 finalist with the “Shadows of my Mind” series
- Life Framer Colors Winners 2020 with “Presence a State of Mind IV”
- 16th Julia Margaret Cameron Award 2021, 2nd place in the category Black&White with the “Shadows of my Mind” series and Honorable Mention in the category Fine Art with the “The Bride” series
- 16th Pollux Awards 2021, 3rd place in the category Fine Art with the “The Bride” series and Honorable Mention with the “I Messiah” and “Memories, Memorials, Momentum and Mixed Moods” series
- 7th Annual Fine Art Photography Awards,
- Two Nominees in the category Fine Art
- one with the Still Life series “Time Will Tell”
- one with the series “Blue Moves”
- Nominee in the category Portrait with the portrait series ”Time Will Tell”
- Nominee in the category Other with single image “Blue Moves”.
- Two Nominees in the category Fine Art
- 6th Annual Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards 2021, winner with the series “Shadows of my Mind”
- TIFA Awards 2020,
- Bronze in the category Fine Art-Portrait with the portrait series ”Time Will Tell”
- Two Honorable Mentions
- one in the category Fine Art -Other with the series “Blue Moves”
- one in the category Fine Art-Still Life with the Still Life series “Time Will Tell”.
- IPA Awards 2020,
- Two Honorable Mentions in the category Fine Art/Portrait
- one with the series “Memories, Memorials, Momentum and Mixed Moods”
- one with the series “Presence a State of Mind”.
- Two Honorable Mentions in the category Fine Art/Portrait
- 15th POLLUX Awards 2020,
- 1st place Winner in the category Still life with the “Time Will Tell” series
- 1st place Winner in the category Portrait single with “Daniel With Flowers”,
- Six Honorable Mentions
- one in category Fine Art with the portrait series “Time Will Tell”
- five in category Portrait single.
- GUPNew 2020 Photography Talent
- Nominated DuPho SO Student Award 2020
- &C Talent November 2019
EXHIBITIONS
- Upcoming Biennial festival Masterly the Hague October 2021 www.masterlythehague.com
- 2021 group exhibition 6thBiennal Gala Awards FotoNostrum, FotoNostrum Mediterranean House Of Photography, Barcelona, December
- Berlin Photo Week 2021, BBA Photography Prize selection, 26th August-3rd September, Berlin
- 2021 group exhibition Featureshoot Winners ,East London, April
- 2021 SXSW festival Austin,March 16-20, New Dutch Wave, selection of Dutch Photography (DuPho)
- 2020 group exhibition Life Framer Photography Prize Edition VI, Rotterdam_Contour Gallery, 2021 Paris_Galerie&co119, 2021 Milan_Officine Fotografiche
- 2020 group exhibition Podium MH Hilversum
- 2019 group exhibition Expo Still Amsterdam
- 2019 group exhibition GUPNew Amsterdam
- 2014 group exhibition masterclass Breda Photo
PUBLICATIONS
- Talent in Focus, Photo31 (online 24-05-2021)
- Life Framer inclusion in The Collection of the series “Time will Tell” (online 2020)
- Artwista International Network to find Contemporary Art (online 2020)
- Uncoated_Platform, Collection of Contemporary Photo Talent with the series “Time Will Tell” (online 2020)
- EuropeNow Journal (8-12-2020)
- Photo & Technique issue 10, (July 2020)
- Hello Gorgeous issue 31, (summer 2020)
- Kiekie the art issue no 30, (June 2020)
- Aesthetica Magazine web (23-06-2020)
- Fotonostrum Magazine issue 3, (30-05-2020)
- Het Parool, (18-04-2020)
- SHUTR photo (issue 4, 2019)
- De Gaykrant, (13-08-2019)
- Het Parool, (17-11-2018)
- Feroce Magazine, (September 2018)
- Trend Privé Magazine, (January 2018)
- Volant Magazine, (January 2018)
- Kaltblut Magazine web, ( December 2017)
- Winq, (22-08-2017)
- Afi Magazine, (May 2017)