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Home / Zurich Art Fair 2023 / Exhibitor

Gallery Karin Toepfer

Germany

Gallery Karin Toepfer, Berlin, presents 'The Night is Pink', a series of masterpieces of contemporary still life photography by Dutch conceptual artist Gertjan van Mook.

« That I can feel various meanings of his objects, that I let myself be carried away into the metaphysical dimension of everyday life and that I can experience life and death in an almost carefree aesthetics is what fascinates me most in the contemporary still lifes by van Mook. »
- Karin Toepfer

Nothing is ever what is seems in Mooks eye-catching Contemporary Still Lifes. He places the Dutch tradition of still life in a contemporary context. Still life, as a genre, was always about prosperity and catastrophe. The first still life saw the light of day at the beginning of the Golden Age in the 17th century. Today, 300 years later, corporations dominate global commerce and Mook uses photography to interpret, critique and reflect on our current social and economic situation.

Trained as a photographer Mook's CV is full of flavor: drawings of mussels, flicks of exploding veggies, a short film of a floating pan on an infinite ocean (Pancape Series) and last but not least his contemporary still life photography, It was as a photographer and filmmaker roaming the globe that Mook first became fascinated by the world's rich variety of food cultures. For Mook food became a journey in itself, feeding the soul as well as the body. He translated his exotic experiences into beautiful photographs and short films. Mook moved to South East Asia and started his research to what he calls his own 'Unesco's list of authentic dishes'. This photographic projects led him all over the world in search for classic dishes and people that create gastronomical wonders far away from the beaten track. Mook dared to move his 'studio' into the 'real world' and went through extensive research while wandering off through war zones and gastronomical hot zones. His photographs are the silent witnesses of his extraordinary journeys.

Mooks photos and films have always had an inescapably communicative character and appeal to three levels: Head, heart and gut.

Mook graduated with honors from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam. He gained notoriety with his brand concept The Man With The Pan®. His photographs and short films have been shown in different trending museums around the world and at film festivals worldwide. Mook lives and works in Amsterdam and Berlin.