Bastiaan Woudt’s “Mukono” in Atlanta

Bastiaan Woudt, a young and largely self-taught artist, first attracted acclaim in 2016 when he was awarded the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation Prize which made possible Karawan, a series of work in Morrocco. For Mukono, a project that began as a commission from the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation developed into a narrative achievement evincing Woudt’s timeless aesthetic.  

In the tradition of Walker Evans and the Farm Security Administration photographers, Woudt tells a community’s story by focusing on the individual and intimate. Traveling to Mukono, Uganda to photograph the water resources in a region with limited access to safe water, Woudt transforms a documentary project into a visual poem. Talismans permeate the series — water jugs, hands — resulting in an allegorical and cohesive body of work distinguished by a blend of classicism and contemporary post-production techniques. 

Bastiaan Woudt

Bastiaan Woudt (NL, 1987) has seen a meteoric rise within the world of contemporary photography. After starting his own photography practice from scratch a mere five years ago, with no experience or formal training, he has developed into a photographer with his own distinct signature style – abstract yet sharp, with a strong focus on detail.

As a student of the history of photography through devouring photobooks and visiting museums and fairs, Woudt has a strong preference for classic subjects, such as portraits and nudes, and we see references to illustrious periods from photography throughout his work, such as Surrealism and the documentary photography of the 1960s and 70s. But through a sophisticated use of both camera and post-production techniques, which he has taught himself by heavily experimenting with both, he gives his own graphic and wholly contemporary twist to the classical.Bastiaan has a longstanding fascination with the African continent and photographing the Ugandan countryside, where the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation supports local drinking water projects, thus was a dream coming true. He went to visit Mukono (Uganda) in October 2017. There, in addition to a commission for the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation, Bastiaan was given the opportunity to make his own work. In the short time of this journey, he admirably succeeded to connect with the people of Mukono. This resulted in a wide range of impressive monochrome (b/w) portraits, and surreal impressions of the local landscapes. Altogether, these autonomously produced images very much highlight Woudt’s typical, sober and yet very dynamic, aesthetic ‘signature’ which, despite the early stage of his career, already has brought him wide and international recognition.  

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