Netherlands-based photographer Amra Blesing uses refreshing monochrome photography to depict innocence as seen through mothers’ eyes.
For her, photography is an art of self-discovery; with the right skill, tender lights and matte shadows can be used to evoke striking scenes from everyday life. The extraordinary resides in every second of life, not in grandiose events. It is the small moments that give life meaning—and meaning, after all, is the primary pursuit of existence. “Through observing and photographing, I explore my own way of seeing, feeling, and being present,” Blesing says.
The situational portraits captured by Blesing invigorate even as they bring solace. While preserving childhood moments has become a primary leitmotif, memory itself remains at the center of her inspiration. “Those in-between moments reflect my inner world, my sensitivity, and my relationship with time, memory, and intimacy.”
Blesing creates a poetic journal of motherhood, observing her children closely and intimately. Yet, they seem to be mostly unaware of this caring, watchful eye and documenting camera. It is thanks to the non-invasive manner in which the photographer chooses to capture her vision, the “unposed, quiet, and fleeting. I’m drawn to these moments because they reveal the natural beauty of my children when they are simply being.”
She proves that creativity and art can blossom gently within the family, through everyday vulnerability that can exist only in a safe home. “While the images focus on them, they are equally a form of self-expression”, Blesing adds. It is a chronicle that keeps evolving and growing alongside its subjects’ wide eyes, jam hands and messy morning hair.
Read our “Camouflage” issue in full
RAWGUE.’s 4th issue delved into the grey, moody, and cold atmosphere of winter. Yet it did not sink into the depths of madness or depression. Instead, it embraced this season of hibernation, allowing 31 artists from all over the world to present their timid work beneath a veil of quiet beauty.
We’re a team of writers using our craft to spotlight art in its most honest form. RAWGUE. started as a bi-monthly editorial experiment where each issue’s theme is dictated by the submitted work, thus removing editorial bias from the equation and preserving a more raw approach. We focus on all forms of poetry: written, photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed.
