AMSTERDAM.- On April 4 Dutch photographic duo Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe has presented their first book at the NewWerktheater in Amsterdam. The abstract black and white images of their Mapping series are captured in a stylish book. Central to their work is the relationship between man and nature. The artists research this theme by human intervention in nature and working with artificial light in landscapes. The NewWerktheater presents an exhibition with a selection of the intriguing images until 31 May 2019.

In 2018 the Mapping series has been photographed in Scotland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Using a laser pen Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe projected lines on different rock formations. The scans created by projecting the lines, visualize a part of the endless possibilities to experience the world around us, without digital image manipulation. In addition to subjectivism, the artists investigate the human inclination to structure, organize and understand the landscape.

Creative agency …,staat (Amsterdam) has translated the theme into a book design. The English book includes an essay by Maartje van den Heuvel, art historian and curator of photography at the Leiden University (the Netherlands), and geologist Fiona Menzies. The book has been realized in-house, partially by crowdfunding and also with the support of the Mondriaan Fund and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK). The book is available on the website of Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe. A numbered Special Edition includes an Art print.

In their lives and work Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe tries to enter into a new, open relationship with nature and to express this alliance in their work as artists. What separates Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe is the all-embracing adventure that encompasses their entire lives, at work and at home. One source of inspiration for their lifestyle is philosophy, especially phenomenological philosophy, a discipline discussed by internationally famous writers like Gaston Bachelard and Christian Norberg-Schulz, and Dutch philosopher Ton Lemaire.

Daan Zuijderwijk (1974) and Maaike Vergouwe (1978) both studied photography at St.Joost Academy in Breda (the Netherlands). Since 2006 they work together on photographic projects. Their autonomous and idiosyncratic work is included in the collections of companies and private collectors. With their three young children they travel the world looking for stunning landscapes to work in and, at the same time, live closer to nature as a family.

Mapping is a completed series that’s led to yet another adventure. The couple sold their motorhome, bought a seaworthy sailing yacht and have plans to make it their home in 2019. Exact destinations are not yet known, but prior references to the Netherlands' nautical past and the history of maritime painting generate interest in the results of Zuijderwijk/Vergouwe’s latest photographic experiment, which stands at the interface of nature, art and photography.