Biografy
Matthieu Gelissen
Monster – Netherlands
Dutch landscape photographer receives an artistic education at the Rotterdam Academy of Art. After completing his studies he immediately begins to travel to Africa, Asia, Latin America and especially to the black lava deserts and glaciers of the central highlands of Iceland. Always in search of abstract and minimalist landscapes his photos are capable of evoking unique emotional sensations.
The Project
On the banks of the river Time
It is precisely by finding himself swallowed up by the immense landscapes that form over time, that he feels how man can be just a small drop of water in the infinite ocean. Seeing and photographing the beauty of such strength is what brings him closer to photography. He does not want to document the landscape but prefers to see it in a minimalist and abstract way to enhance the sensations and atmosphere of these places. This is what he wants to tell with his images: Not only to please the eye, but essentially to move the soul. The silence and solitude of his images puts the viewer in an introspective condition in which feelings and existentialism are compared. The images are successful when they do not stop at the simple sight of a photo but are able to go beyond and reach the soul of the viewer. When he feels this sensation, it is the moment in which his photography slows down: this is the moment to sit down and listen to the landscape.
– Always take the right time to encounter images that evoke emotions! –