MICHELLE PIERGOELAM - EXPOSURE INTERNATIONAL OPEN CALL

By creating visual stories based on cultural myths, dreams and memories, I want to take the viewer to another world where imagination takes over. I create images where traditions, stories and scenery are intertwined to create a new reality, which is still based on an original tale. Without speaking their language, you can wonder about different cultures and their traditions.

At night, light and dark come together and show you what is forgotten by the day. I seek different photographic techniques while using the elements of the night. Details become the subject; when light strikes over it, the smallest gestures will speak loudly. In my photography I always seek the imagination in the stories. The fact that there is a truth hidden in a lot of cultural fairytales and myths creates awareness and understanding of the culture. Despite my Surinamese background, I knew nothing about this country. My curiosity to learn more about it drew my attention to discover and to seek the narratives for myself. I became more conscious of the importance of telling cultural stories.

BIOGRAPHY

Michelle Piergoelam (Rotterdam, 1997) is an art photographer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. She creates stories based upon cultural myths, dreams and memories. She consciously draws from native legends and geography, building on their importance to preserve and share in the diversity of history and anthropology. These images bear witness to the human condition and our innate desire to tell stories. With her most recent project The untangled tales she got nominated for the longlist of Blurring the lines 2020 and the Kassel Dummy Award 2020.