About Michelle Blancke
Michelle Blancke (b. 1984) is a photographer and student at the Fotoacademie in Amsterdam. She expects to graduate in 2023 and will exhibit her work in the exhibition Emergo from May 25 to 28.
Hello Michelle, when or how have you understood you wanted to become an artist?
About 6 years ago, I started exploring my creativity. I had a busy job and missed out on this part of my life. After trying oil painting, I switched to photography because the process fits me better. I gradually started spending all my time on it until I started a photography program at the Foto Academie in Amsterdam. I will graduate in May after a three-year program, Conceptual Imagemaker, to become an art photographer.
Please briefly describe your technique and tell us what drives you to make art.
I use a digital camera as an extension of my eye and to capture what I encounter. It starts with going into nature, getting absorbed in the moment’s mood, and then capturing this in a photo. I always wonder what I will get. Afterward, I analyze, choose a theme and edit my work. So the intentional part comes later. What drives me is to stir a feeling in people who see my work and connect emotionally.
What is the main feature that has changed in your work or practice?
Focus on making coherent, strong series of work around a specific theme.
Which artist primarily inspires your work? And is there something else, outside visual arts, that keeps you motivated?
Female surrealists, strong artists who used art to explore identity and change their position, inspire me. Frida Kahlo comes to my mind. Music always gets me going as well. I have a playlist with music with the same mood and energy I’m looking for.
How would you like people to engage with your work?
I prefer a physical experience, an exhibition space where people can wander around in the world of my photos on freestanding panels. Combined with my videos, which are like moving pictures that work best for me projected on a wall or glass.
Spread the word! Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?
In May, I will graduate with 30 other students from the Foto Academie in an exhibition in Amsterdam. We’re preparing a professional space and presentation. Looking forward to showing my work the way I envision it.
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