since 1965
my cameras
3
This book has been assembled in a special way. Twelve people from the photographer's surroundings, each separately did choose ten photographs on a specific subject, and also wrote an account explaining their choice. Warna Oosterbaan's choice was Jazz, Martin Schouten Work, Joël Bons Canada, Titus Yocarini Portraits, Carry van Lakerveld Music-theatre, Pauline Terreehorst Nieuwmarkt/Bijlmer, Maarten Kloos Amsterdam/nederland, Tjebbe van Tijen Playing space, Frits Bolkestein Europe, Conny Braam Africa, Gerrit jan Wolffensper Visual arts, and femke and Hanneke Boersma Family. Merel Bem, journalist of the Dutch daily De Volksrant wrote the introduction. In this way a particular overview of a special photographer has been realized.
Pieter Boersma (Amsterdam 1945) is not only a many sided and socially involved photographer, but he also played a significant role in Dutch photography, as chairman of the Association of Dutch Photographers (GKf) and cofounder of Netherland's Photo Archive (Nederlands Fotoarchief). From the start of his career Boersma has captured subjects with his camera that he would follow for many years. Jazz is his first great love - in the sixties he was the first Jazz-cello player in the Netherlands and performed a.o. with Willem Breuker and Han Bennink - since then his jazz photographs appeared in the weekly Vrij Nederland and the magazine 'Jazz Wereld'. Next to that Boersma was active in the world of visual art: making artist's portraits, and photographing the alternative theater circuit. In the seventies and eighties of last century he was involved in the social side of the build environment: civil actions, evictions of squatters and daily events of Amsterdam activist's circles. He also showed the desolate reality of the new suburban quarters of that time. Since 1987 Boersma photographed for the Dutch Antiapartheid Movement and for the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa in southern Africa. His own style is summarized by him in the words: "when something is wretched, it should look wretched."
Review of the book in Dutch on the 'photoq' web site by Han Schoonhoven: "Uit de selecties blijkt de veelzijdigheid en sociale flexibiliteit van Pieter Boersma (Amsterdam 1945). Hij fotografeert -blijkbaar met hetzelfde gemak- demonstranten op de Nieuwmarkt, keurige zakenlieden, sappelende Afrikanen, eigenzinnige kunstenaars, protesterende arbeiders, spelende jazzmusici en verlegen kinderen." To read the full review click the photoq logo.
A reaction in Dutch on the blog of the Duthc Daily 'De Volkskrant': "De fotos van Pieter Boersma zijn evenwel allesbehalve salontafelboekfotos. Rauw en rafelig worden de ogen van de kijker gegrepen; deze fotos werden gemaakt om te worden gebruikt, net zoals een langspeelplaat geperst werd om naar te luisteren (en niet om 'm op te bergen in de kast), net zoals een Rietveld-stoel er is om er op te zitten, en geen museumobject is. Nergens is de mens ver weg en op iedere foto zijn de ogen van de zoeker aanwezig. Pieter Boersma's mededogen laat ons mede-ogen." To read the full review click the volkskrantblog logo.
Cafe/Herberg Hooghoudt Reguliersgracht 11 Amsterdam has an exhibition with sixteen portrait photographs by Pieter Boersma.Click logo for details.
a few links to my photographs on the web...
contact: info-at-pieterboersmaphotography.com
last updated 2006/10/28
last updated 2006/10/28