Desiré Van Den Berg Considers Truth, Objectivity And Reality

Desiré van den Berg came to photography after deeming the camera a necessary travel companion for her time in Asia as an 18-year-old. Years on, and the Amsterdam-based photographer’s oeuvre extends well beyond holiday snaps, her vibrant compositions posing larger questions about truth and reality.

Coming from a background in linguistics, it is unsurprising that van den Berg’s images require more than surface reading. Her work delves into academic concepts surrounding reality, and their application to the art of photography: scrutinizing structures and studying them through her lens. Notably, she is concerned with scientific and philosophical theories surrounding truth and objectivity, and their representation through the medium of photography. Working across both digital and analog photography, her work is emotional but composed: A mixture of still life, travel, documentary and editorial photographs that share her unique intellectually-driven aesthetic.

All images © Desiré van den Berg