Down By The Water

Robin De Puy

For several years, I’ve lived in Wormer, a small village surrounded by water just to the north of Amsterdam. I am fascinated by the American countryside, and during the recent lockdown, I discovered that this environment proves to be very universal — with the same sort of local small-town icons that I had often encountered during my travels through the rural landscapes of America.

The longer I do not travel, the more I turn to this place where I live. I see how my new environment takes care of me — how the baker and the greengrocer bring groceries to my doorstep every Saturday morning — how all kinds of people call this their town, their neighborhood, their home. I see families who have lived here for generations; I see refugees, outcasts, and graduates; I see urban diversity mixed with a small-town state of mind.

During this project, I’ve met an 11-year-old barefoot shaman who brings me through forbidden territory. I’ve driven around with four giggling brothers in the back seat; and I’ve met a palm reader who immediately gave me the keys to his house. Dozens of encounters followed and, slowly, not only a photo book was created, but a world in which I started to feel at home.

Artist Bios

Robin de Puy

Robin de Puy’s (b. 1986) photographs start with a desire to tell her own story through the faces of others. Whether it’s the freckled adolescent she noticed while refueling in Wyoming, or the boy Randy she met in Nevada while on her American road trip, de Puy sees the camera as an aid to understand the deeply personal traits and histories of each person — and how they also reveal something about herself. Many of her encounters are fleeting, a heartfelt glance into the life of someone else before time resumes its frantic pace. In others, as with Randy, those same transient experiences blossom into profound and enduring relationships. Regardless of which ending they have, de Puy’s photographs are always imbued with a sensitivity and timelessness which encourage a slow gaze on the human condition.

Born in the Netherlands, de Puy studied at the Fotoacademie Rotterdam and has been exhibited internationally at institutions and galleries. Her work is held in major public and private collections.

Organizations

Photoville

Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.

In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.

By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.

Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.

For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
NYC Parks

NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.
The Ravestijn Gallery

The Ravestijn Gallery was founded in Amsterdam in 2012 by Jasper Bode and Narda Van ‘t Veer with a focus on inquisitive and provocative approaches to contemporary photography.

Bode and Van ‘t Veer respectively bring together several decades of experience curating photography exhibitions and representing a diverse group of photographic talents in the Netherlands and abroad.

The gallery showcases several exhibitions a year aimed at exploring new perspectives for photography in all its forms and showing ambitious international works.

In addition to its exhibition program and participation in international photography fairs, the gallery holds an expansive collection of photography on site and gathers pictures from the twentieth century and other contemporary photographs.
Dutch Culture USA

Dutch arts, culture, and shared cultural heritage are represented in the U.S. through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington, DC, and the Consulates General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. The headquarters for cultural services is the Press and Cultural Affairs Department of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York. Monique Ruhe, Cultural Attaché for the Netherlands to the U.S., heads this department, which further consists of Robert Kloos, Deputy Head and responsible for Visual Arts, Architecture and Design; Noah Waxman, Senior Policy Officer and responsible for performing arts, film, literature; and Shomara Roosblad, Senior Cultural Officer and responsible for shared cultural heritage and old masters.

FUTURE 400, a 2024/2025 initiative of the Netherlands Consulate General in New York, endeavors to honor 400 years of Dutch-New York history with honesty and integrity, creating space for others who share this common heritage to voice their feelings and experiences at this monumental moment. Partners from cultural to commercial fields, from the New York area to the Netherlands will come together to create new work and new opportunities that will continue to write the next chapter of our shared story, our collective…FUTURE 400. More information: www.dutchcultureusa.com