big nothing 65, 2021

Luuk de Haan  

Luuk de Haan was born in Vlaardingen, South Holland, Netherlands. He is a visual artist and sound designer. His visual art relies on the mediums of photography, drawing and digital tools to create organic, geometric abstract compositions. He lives and works in Bergen, North Holland, Netherlands.

EDUCATION

De Haan studied at the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht (Hoge School voor de Kunsten HKU), in Utrecht, Netherlands.

TECHNIQUE

The photographs Luuk de Haan makes are derived from a unique method that combines contemporary technology like digital graphics software with historic photographic techniques. The process begins when De Haan uses digital software to create a geometric composition. He then photographs that composition directly from the screen. By adjusting the physical conditions under which the photograph is taken, such as by lowering the light or moving the camera, De Haan allows the analogue photographic process to interact with the digital image in ways that are often unpredictable, introducing an element of surprise to the final result. Sometimes De Haan will perform dance-like gestures while exposing the photograph, giving an active gestural quality to the image. The resulting images can simultaneously be read as naturally expressive and organic as well as graphic explorations of shape, color, geometry and line.

INSPIRATIONS

De Haan is inspired by a minimalist aesthetic, which leads to compositions defined by confident, geometric shapes, clear lines, smooth surfaces, and a pared down visual vocabulary. And he is also inspired by music and a sense of poetic openness. His work inhabits a space of depth, where things are not always as simple as they appear. His compositions appear to be in flux, as though not fully determined. He has likened this mix of concrete and abstract influences to architecture: defined as much by solid forms as by the space and silence within. Artists who have influenced his work include Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman, along with musicians like Morton Feldman, Steve Reich and Brian Eno.

Luuk de Haan has exhibited extensively in a variety of galleries and museums throughout the Netherlands and Germany, as well as at international fairs like Art New York, EXPO Chicago and Art Miami.