" The photographs of this series represent a collection of relics from my adolescence. During this time, I could be very reckless, and I always wanted something more out of life, something I felt life owed me but wouldn’t give me. Back then I don’t think I would have been able to pinpoint exactly what it was I so desperately desired. Looking back on it now, I think you could say I was looking for life itself in a sense, its deeper truth and its inner secrets. It was during this time that I also discovered the beauty of photography, and after a friend of mine gave me my first analogue camera, taking pictures became a new way to try and capture the meaning I was looking for in life. I soon found out however that the more you try to capture and force meaning into a picture, the less meaningful the picture itself usually becomes. As a matter of fact, I discovered that if a photograph turned out to be good or bad is for a certain degree also up to chance. The difficult thing about working with the element of chance for me as a photographer, is that I can only anticipate it, but never control it. The pictures that have been touched by something unforeseen however, are for me the most interesting to behold, because I feel they aren’t just a duplicated image of reality, but also show us the hidden life that lies beyond it.

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I am Benjamin du Gardijn (b. 1997, Naarden, The Netherlands) and currently I am living and working in Amsterdam. I have studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, studying in both Amsterdam and Bologna and finishing my bachelor in 2023. I have been engaging myself with the art of photography ever since I was young, shooting film as well as digital. As a photographer I like to draw from my personal life, making photos of my family and friends and taking pictures as I travel. I have also shot band photos for a Dutch band called De Zweefclub. In 2024 I was selected by GUP Magazine as one of the international talents. "

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Contact: benjamindugardijn@mailbox.org