Tessa van Raalte (1997) is a visual artist based in Arnhem. In her work, she tends to collaborate with natural entities. She creates space for seemingly inconspicuous life forms to guide and influence her work in order to question the assumed separation between human and nature. She attempts to capture and research the untamed and sometimes inexplicable character of green spaces, with the camera as a means of documentation and translation.
Van Raalte offers much time and attention to specific materials and organisms. From the repetition of actions, such as walking, collecting or simply noticing, an ambiguous ritual is formed which strengthens her connection with landscapes, materials and memories. By making photo-developers with plants, or letting photographs be affected by fungi, her work acquires a materiality that is deeply connected to the subject and location at hand. This method is captured in the physical erosion or transformation the image endures; the elapsed time is made visible and is stabilised, yet largely transient and evolving. The resulting images are rarely a representation of the reality Van Raalte sees through her lens. Due to the presence of a coarse grain, lack of contrast and material degradation, her work is not a clear documentation of a landscape or subject, but rather an impression of what possibly lies hidden beneath; a precarious, wild beauty.
Van Raalte offers much time and attention to specific materials and organisms. From the repetition of actions, such as walking, collecting or simply noticing, an ambiguous ritual is formed which strengthens her connection with landscapes, materials and memories. By making photo-developers with plants, or letting photographs be affected by fungi, her work acquires a materiality that is deeply connected to the subject and location at hand. This method is captured in the physical erosion or transformation the image endures; the elapsed time is made visible and is stabilised, yet largely transient and evolving. The resulting images are rarely a representation of the reality Van Raalte sees through her lens. Due to the presence of a coarse grain, lack of contrast and material degradation, her work is not a clear documentation of a landscape or subject, but rather an impression of what possibly lies hidden beneath; a precarious, wild beauty.