SANNE ROMEIJN

In 2010 I met Victor at a small house gathering. Without the least embarrassment, he was sitting on the couch wearing his pajamas. I immediately fell for his dry humour. We now have an eleven-year relationship together. From a young age, we have seen each other grow and become adults. 

Victor has been struggling with psychological problems for a long time: dark thoughts, no vision for the future and an average of three hours sleep per night, are common frustrations. This has an impact on Victor, on me and on our lives together. I use my camera to make the situation more humane and tangible. The portraits in my project are intended as a self-representation of love, intimacy and frustrations. Despite the difficult moments that we experience together, we are looking for a better way of living. This, by creating a calmer atmosphere and seeking out the freedom of nature. 

For my graduation project I made a book called: ”Those Moments in Between”.

I've also made a postcard set with 10 photos from this series. You can purchase them for €15,-.

Judge review Lensculture:

''Your images are very beautiful and serene. An odd thing to say if one considers that your subject is mental illness. On the other hand, because nothing extreme is occurring, there is the sense of living with a chronic situation. It is somehow absorbed into daily moments without too much drama. And I suppose that really, that is the truth of the condition.

Your colors are gentle and pastel with an emphasis on flesh tones and blue-greens, so I suppose they could be equated with a clinical setting like a hospital. For the most part they inspire a sense of stillness and quiet in me. The truth is that you protagonists exhume sadness in a very clear manner. If one did not read your captions they would nevertheless know that something is wrong. For me the portfolio without the credits looks like loss, like living with the death of a loved one. Escaping into oneself, into the forest, into a state of isolation in order to cope.''