Longing for Lamu
Lamu feels like ‘her home’ in Africa for Dutch photographer Annelies Damen. The moment she put her feet on the Kenyan Archipelago 20 years ago, the poetic feel of the place triggered her creativity. Lamu has maintained much of the unspoiled Swahili culture for centuries, which inspires dreams of the past. The slow pace of living, the surrounding Indian ocean, the organic food, the Swahili architecture but above all she is intrigued by the women she meets, who are the inspiration for this series.
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Biography
In 2006 Damen graduated at the Academy of Photography in Amsterdam. From her studio based in Amsterdam the world is the working field for her autonomous photo projects. Using this medium, Damen has sensitively captured strong female imagery from a myriad of cultures, which connects both to complement their surrounding landscape, creating a sort of sublime interaction in her work. As an artist she demonstrates the symphony between the female form in natural or architectonic settings creating a painterly meeting of shadows, shapes and lines that are steeped in poetic beauty.
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Awards
Grand Prize winner REPRESENT competition of See.Me 2020.
Bronze winner PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2020.
