'The Moment Of The Empty Hands'

I habitually photograph still lifes of objects that I find on the street, am given or come across in a curio shop.

The choice of this topic gives me the confidence to lower the drawbridge to my moated castle.

My work expresses my feelings and enables me to process them because, although I am rarely lost for words, photography is a safe way to put them into words.

The pictures may be drained of color, but there is hope. A glimmer of light transforms what used to be darkness into new light.

The project is called “The Moment of The Empty Hands.” The objects have all had a life; they are dented, rusty, broken and sometimes no longer recognizable because they are from a recent past or are still "stuck" in the shadows.

As human beings, property gives us status and identity. But everything you, the viewer, see before you is superfluous, no longer matters for the life of its owner. They have taken a different path on which these objects are no longer of use.

For me, they symbolize a past life that, once you have said your goodbyes, stretches out into something new, for the taking.

It seems simple, but how did I accept the new after a long and difficult period, seeing as I didn’t dare let go of the old? Afraid of the moment of change when I would be left empty-handed.

On February 23, 2021, I had a brain stem stroke and in a split second I was left empty-handed for a moment. Calm. Wobbly, I find myself slowly stepping into a new adventure.

My photos are signed by En Eg. My name is Nina Vlaanderen.