Secret Garden
Beyond the Visible
Nature is a sanctuary. Immersed in the natural world, we experience a pure force. It brings us in touch with something incomprehensibly larger than ourselves. We might even catch a glimpse of the essence of our existence. For me, being in nature opens me up to the mysteries of life. Wandering thought-free, an energy awakens and unexplored parts of myself come to light. I find an opening to a hidden world, beyond the visible. A Secret Garden.
From an early age, I've had an awareness that we each perceive reality in our own way. Our minds seem to shape the world around us, convincing us that our version of reality is the only one. This feeling leads me to delve into the mystery of reality. I am fascinated by scientific and philosophic ideas of consciousness, the fabric of the universe and metaphysics. But also by the stories that shape our understanding of existence, found in fantasy, mythology and spirituality.
Using photographic techniques I give form to my vision on the world around me. Light and dark are in balance. I remove context and intensify with composition, framing and colour in a way that resembles painting. It seems as though the images extend beyond the frame. They unveil an abstracted reality that transcends the familiar.
About
Michelle Blancke (1984) is a lens-based visual artist from Amsterdam. She graduated from the Fotoacademie in May 2023, with a strong foundation in the three-year Conceptual Image program. She is represented in Amsterdam by Sandvoort Gallery. Her first solo exhibition is planned this May at the Musa Art Pavilion in Venice.
She has exhibited her work at fairs, festivals and group shows, such as Rotterdam Photo. Her work has been noticed, with features in several articles. Aesthetica Magazine featured her work in the print issue ‘Abstractions’. Another highlight is the Dutch Magazine HP/De Tijd, showcasing the work of eight recent art graduates.
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Solo Exhibition
May 18 to 27
Venice
Musa Art Pavilion
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Solo Exhibition
Sep 6 to Okt 5
Amsterdam
WM Gallery
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Group Exhibition
Jun 2025
Amsterdam
EM Gallery
“Secret Garden. The archetypical image these words suggests roots deeply to our collective subconscious, creating a link to the Garden of Eden. This image resonates with the Western tradition, but in their lore and tales all cultures talk about a sacred place where all creation began.
There is a strange muted pictorial beauty in the visuals. The images present such a powerful and creative attitude and aesthetic concerns that honestly amazed me. Each picture in the work, and all together, project the internal attitude of the person behind the camera. The abstractions give people room to dream, to find their own interpretation.
The magnificence and mystique of nature are beautifully executed in this strange, enchanting series of pictures. The more I see them, the more I interpret your intention as a gesture towards our distant past and the ancient environment of the Savanah where human species thrived.
The priority of the experience over reality appears to be the content source. In these luminous pictorial works reality and fantasy blur into each other. Through your lens and vision, ordinary moments in nature become extraordinary impressions and memories about the importance of nature to our well-being.”
— LensCulture