AMSTERDAM.- The work of New York based fine art photographer Martien Mulder (1971, NL) will be represented by Kahmann Gallery from September 2010. The exhibition “From Blue To Blue” highlights 10 years of personal work.

Mulder’s colorpalette is very specific, and some of her photographs could be considered monotones. This gives them a quiet strength. She is a minimalist, but her images are sober in a warm and accessible manner. She enjoys pointing her lens at many different subjects in search for the same result…a calm delicately abstract representation of them.

Martien Mulder’s photographs reflect her travels, her movements and her life. Her images are a search for the calm, uncluttered beauty she finds in her personal surroundings. Her subject matter is endless and of great variety, since she travels with her always alert eye, and could stumble upon anything… anywhere. This variety in content asks for a strong and consistent approach and Mulder seems “to reveal the essence of any subject without force”. Landscape, portraiture and architectural space all play an equally important role in her work. People seem to be at ease in front of her lens, and static objects are brought to life by her quietly focused attention. She has always been interested in the relationship between people and their environment. Her images are open, spacious, and often simple. They are filled with sensuality, as the personal relation between photographer and subject is evident.

The specific selection for this show is based on the monochromatic quality of Mulder’s photographs: the predominant color in each image determines its place in the space. Even though the images have their own individual meaning on the level of representation, they are sorted by their formal values and treated as colors in a color scheme. When entering the gallery space we see a flow of images on the wall: starting with a blue group, passing by green compositions, warm reds, cool whites and dense blacks, and ending at a sea of bluetones again. A universe of colors is presented, referencing life itself. The images are mounted onto wooden objects, and the rhythm of their compositions on the wall draws us in as we discover their subtle harmony.

Martien Mulder discovered her love for photography as a teenager. Her first pictures date from her high school years, when friends would pose willingly in her home-made studio. After her art history studies, with a major in contemporary photography, she decided to take her own pictures more seriously. By composing handmade books of her photographs, she established a visual language that connected to the magazine world. While travelling for commercial clients she created her personal work.