Interview: Jolanda Steenvoorden
Luca Curci talks with Jolanda Steenvoorden during VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2020 at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

“Small everyday things such as nature, people and animals are often the subject. The photos are personal, but because the themes are universal, they can also be felt by the viewer. I photograph memories, events, perceptions and emotions, with which I want to show the transience of life. I am not looking for the perfectly light and well placed perspective, but photograph situations where you get the feeling that you are in the middle of it. The great thing about photography is that I can stop time at the moment I have chosen. The image often arises without conscious thought, intuitively. This creates a photographic diary for me”.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Jolanda Steenvoorden – Art is a way of life for me. It gives me freedom and insight into things and situations that I experience. The nice thing about art is that I can decide for myself what I make and how I make it. They are my ideas that I don’t have to consult with anyone, I just have to make them. The great thing in life is that you do many things together with other people, but it is also very nice that every person is unique with their own identity.

LC – Which subject are you working on?
JS – I don’t work on a specific topic. Everything can be a subject for me. The subjects often present themselves spontaneously, they can be objects that I find along the way and which I then take pictures of at home. But mostly I shoot intuitively on location. Something has to get my attention and then I photograph it.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
JS – I find my inspiration all around me, especially in people, animals and nature. Usually in places where (modern) people have not yet intervened too much, often in countries with a certain rawness. Often during walks, but even in busy cities I will automatically isolate myself and photograph the things that other people don’t see. It is often a certain light, play of lines or shape that attracts my attention. I am also interested in movement or stillness.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
JS – I can’t help but follow my feeling, which means that I always have a camera with me to capture important moments that I encounter in my life. That makes life interesting for me. I look for depth in the things, emotions and feelings that I encounter, for me it works best by capturing moments with a camera, then those moments are never lost and I can look at it longer and thus discover even more. Life goes so fast so I try to capture and freeze pieces of life.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
JS – The most challenging thing about taking a photo is for me to make “simple” everyday things into a special image so that people can think about how and what it represents. To me, a good photo consists of several layers, even if it seems very simple. I will not answer the questions about what it is exactly because then the magic is lost, and magic is about life. For me, life is “magic”. I always wonder, especially about nature and animals. About how everything came about, so many types of animals with their specific drawings and colors. about the beautiful mountains, trees and flowers.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this exhibition? How is it connected to the theme of the entire festival?
JS – The sense of freedom is the message I have linked to the artworks I have shown in this exhibition. I think freedom is the most important feeling that a person should be able to experience in his / her life. It is very important to me to be who I am and to determine how I live my life. It is the only way to develop yourself into a unique person. I grant freedom to everyone, humans and animals.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the festival or as a part of preexisting works?
JS – The artworks presented are not specially made for the festival. It is a theme that is already part of my existing works.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
JS – I think the principle is very good, an opportunity for artists who are not yet at a permanent gallery to be able to show the work to a wider audience / network.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
JS – Yes, although I wonder how many people actually come to the exhibition, especially in this Corona period. The work should therefore be more visible on the website. This interview may contribute to this.

LC – What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
JS – I wonder if it is possible to show more images on the websites. Instead of a video in which the work does not come across clearly. I hoped that I would be more visible on the web, also because Covid 19 will disappoint visitor numbers in Venice.