Marjolijn De Groot

Dutch photographer Marjolijn de Groot has lived and worked in France since 1990. Her childhood, marked by seven years spent in Pakistan and India, fueled her imagination. Road trips across the subcontinent left powerful visual impressions: market stalls, the Holi festival of colors, the vibrant rhythm of life, and an omnipresent sensuality. The rich colors of the saris worn by the women still resonate with her, like a technicolor memory. These intense images, contrasting with the surrounding poverty and pollution, became a visual legacy that she took with her when she returned to the Netherlands. As a teenager, she discovered photography by borrowing her father's camera to create her first staged photographs. She also explored other forms of artistic expression: sewing, drawing, sculpture—a need to create that led her to attend the Maastricht School of Fine Arts, where she specialized in sculpture. This idea of space and volume still influences her photographic practice today. After five years as an assistant in the fields of fashion and commercial photography, Marjolijn became a professional photographer. However, in 2019, she felt the need to refocus on a more personal and artistic approach. She then participated in workshops with the Vu agency and Eyes in Progress, moving more towards the work of an author photographer. Today, Marjolijn divides her time between portrait commissions and her personal photographic projects. Her works explore questions around intimacy and environmental issues. Her practice, rooted in staging and influenced by sculpture, reflects a thought about space that remains at the heart of her artistic approach.