Nanda Hagenaars approaches photography with a poetic and emotionally rich sensibility, creating images that reflect her intuitive connection to the world. Fascinated by the relationship between time and timelessness, she often works in black and white, a medium that aligns with her creative vision. We discovered her beautiful work through her submission to
AAP Magazine Portrait, and we were captivated by her series Perspective. We asked her a few questions about her life and work:
All About Photo: Tell me about your introduction to the arts. How has your upbringing shaped your creativity?
Nanda Hagenaars: I grew up in a family with a father as an entrepeneur and a mother with a love for natural healing for animals. They weren’t creative, but my grandmother was an artist. As soon as I could held a brush, she invited me to start painting and drawing. We did it together. We sat in the garden, looking, observing and painting. The smell of the paint made me feel at ease. We could sit for hours, painting. She would put on classical music and helped me with my composotions. For sure this has set a tone of voice for my own creativity.
Do you remember your first shot? What was it?
I actually do. I was eighteen years old and I was on a family holiday in Italy with my parents and 2 other families. I was older than the other “kids” but too young to be with the adults. It was on the dinner table, it was full with glasses of half full wine, cheese, and the sun set in the background in the mountains. My dad’s camera was on the table. I grabbed it and while the adults were having their adult conversation, I melted into the camera. I was finding compositions with the light and the glasses. What am I looking at? How can I change it into a scenery that makes me feel something? And most of all, it felt meditative and something like exploring with play.
Were there other outlets in which you would channel your creativity through before immersing yourself in photography?
So because of my grandmothers painting lessons, I occasionally felt creative in life and grabbed paper and some brushes. I also took painting classes in Amsterdam to overcome my failure of anxiety. Just paint, without judging or wanting something to come out. That was a big step for me in my creativity. Photography is a lot “easier” compared to painting. If you don’t like the picture, I will change my feet, my composition and I will take another one. No one has to see it. But painting will always hold a special place in my heart.
How would you describe the creative process behind your work?
This changes. It’s usually more coming from an inspired and connected state of being. By connected I mean connected with the self but also with a higher source. And by inspired I mean that I am focussed and aligned with my vision. But it can also be more of a meditative state, with absolutely no intention, just me and the portrayed in the studio. Asking what needs to be brought into this physical world. It’s an experiment.
What does a photograph mean to you?
A photograph can touch me in many ways. Whenever I walked around Paris Photo, seeing all the amazing photos, I could feel a sense of recognition. This goes way beyond words. It’s about a frequency where the creator matches the viewer. That’s where you can get goosebumps or feel emotions. Sometimes a photo means nothing to me. Sometimes it means everything to me.
What kind of a response from viewers are you hoping for when they look at your work?
I hope to provoke an emotion. The ultimate is when someone looks at a work and starts crying. That means I have touched someone on a deeper level, without words. That is beyond powerful and fulfilling.
Is it important for you to be recognized as a woman photographer?
I guess it is. When I walked around several art and photography fairs years ago and still, a lot of the photographers are male. I work with an agent whose goal is to minor the gap between man and women in the art industry.
Do you spend a lot of time editing your work?
Actually no. I’ve never liked photoshop and even tough sometimes people think it is photoshop, it is actually shot like how it was. But recently I’ve started printing bigger prints and I become more critical about my photo than before. It’s a process of growing I guess. In big prints (100 x 150) you will see so much more than on your computer screen and I will need to edit in a slightly different way. So this is a process for me.
What advice would you give someone who would like to become a photographer today?
Just keep going. Every rejection is actually a redirection. Also; you’re exactly where you need to be. I caught myself stressing out over small things and looking back they were so unimportant. Eventueally it will all fall into place and if you surrender into that with trust and faith, and you just create from the heart with full authenticity, it will all come. Also; do your meditation and every now and then jump into the future; what will your life look like in 10 or 20 years? Can you sense a hint of your future self? And if so, what can you do in the present moment to get there later?
How do you feel about AI photography?
I feel excited and amazed at the same time about this. It’s a new form of art. I do feel it has nothing to do with photography and that it should be seen as a totally new category. There should be new and different contests and platforms for AI images. I do understand the fear of this new medium for commercial photographers. The advertising industry is using AI for creating their campaigns. I understand this might feel as a threath. But I am a firm believer to stay close to authenticity, as a creator, but also as a brand. I believe in the future the most valueable campaigns and artworks are still created by man’s hand and brain, not a virtual one.
If you weren't a Photographer, what would you be doing?
Painting or being a barista.
What’s next for you?
Very exciting; I will present my work at Bildhalle Amsterdam + Zurich gallery amongst 14 other amazing artists, where the artworks will start a dialogue. The exhibition will open on September 13 and is called
“I see you”
I will also present my work at
Unseen art fair in de Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam with New House Gallery (Formerly MickAgence)
Nanda Hagenaars
''El Duende'' is a word used by the Spanish people to describe it is what moves you, what drives you. It comes from inside you. El duende is a bodily reaction to art or artistic perfomance such as Flamenco. It comes from the soles of the feet and flows free throughout the body till the top of your head. El duende is the spirit of evocation. An emotional and physical reaction. It can make you smile or cry or both. This mysterious power which everyone can sense and no philosopher can explain is in sum the spirith of the earth. It touches you in such a magical way that you are moved instantly.
Nanda Hagenaars was born in the Netherlands in 1988 and is currently living in Amsterdam. She studied International Business and Languages in Sevilla. This is where she felt the spirit of el Duende in such a strong way that this place instantly became like a harbour for her.
Back in the Netherlands, Nanda started working in the advertising industry and after nearly 4 years left her office job and crashed fully into photography and art. After studying languages, she discovered a new kind of language; through photography.
Between 2007 and 2017, Nanda traveled frequently back to south Spain where she somehow always felt touched by culture and the simple vibe of the magnificent gypsy city. In 2016, Nanda made her first documentary photography project in Sevilla, where she won a price for New Dutch Photo talent 2017.
Nanda’s captivating black and white style blends poetry and intuition, delving into the eternal essence of life. Through her lens, Nanda captures stories and forges a profound connection with the portrayed. At times, she surrenders to the unknown, creating intuïtively and spontaneously. Through her art she aims to touch others, offering solace and unity through shared emotions.
So.. to Nanda, photography is a way to translate, meditate, and communicate.
A universal language.
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@nandahagenaars
All about Nanda Hagenaars
