Paul Kooiker Photographs Typical Clichés In A New Light

Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker’s print publication Eggs And Rarities is a categorical examination of photographic clichés such as nudes, landscapes, and still lifes, taken with a voyeuristic and mysterious lens.

The series is drawn together from archived and unpublished work created over a period of ten years, representing his “encyclopaedia of life”. Eggs and Rarities plays on the curious relationship often noted in photography between photographer, subject, and viewer. The title for the series is a play on the term, “B sides and rarities”, the broad name given to the second side of many different vinyls created by musicians. In this case, it alludes to the broad but ironic nature of Kooiker’s photographs. When taking in the imagery, what at first appears familiar, soon afterwards becomes obscure. In what context are these images taken? Which ones are private and which are public? In what ways do they intersect? The answers, it seems, are for the viewer to discover. And the result of this work shows how the complexity of all clichés converge. You can purchase Eggs And Rarities here.

All images © Paul Kooiker