On a late-night drive through Dutch farmland, Awoiska van der Molen (1972) felt drawn to the brightness of the moon. She turned off the highway, drove into the night, and stepped out of the car.
There, away from the urban frenzy, she found this quiet landscape. The symmetry between the row of trees to the left and right, the equal spacing between sky and land, and the black field shrouded beneath the moonlight give the photo an almost mystical atmosphere.
Growing up in a chaotic and artistic family, Van der Molen longed for structure. She pursued different programs of study to ensure a secure future, but art school turned out to be the right path for her.
Although digital photography was on the rise during her studies, she remained faithful to analog photography so she could quietly capture the power of nature.
Van der Molen is known for her powerful black-and-white images, that evoke a moment for reflection from the viewer. With her camera, she travels into nature for weeks at a time, seeking to get through to the essence of a place. 'When the mind quiets in this stillness, the opportunity arises to experience nature more intensely.'
Van der Molen believes that when we spend long periods in nature, we gradually start recognizing our original territory: a pristine landscape that knows the same rhythm as our bodies. This intuitive experience is what her work is all about.
Landscapes with mountains and dense vegetation are her favorite kind. 'I like to be surrounded by the kind of nature I can hide in. But the darkness of this flat, vacant landscape I photographed for Schiphol also feels reassuring.'
Awoiska van der Molen lives and works in Drenthe and Amsterdam. Her work has previously been shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Fotomuseum Den Haag, and the Foam photography museum in Amsterdam.