POLDERLAND | PRESS RELEASE
L. Parker Stephenson Photographs is pleased to present Polderland, the Gallery’s third exhibition of photographs by Dutch artist Witho Worms (b. 1959). In this series, Worms focuses on landscapes reclaimed from the sea. Dating from 2004-2006, this project is the earliest in a trilogy about the intersection of nature and culture, and sets the stage for Cette montagne c’est moi (2006-2011) and A Forest Reconstructed (2013-2016).
Polders are areas of land created by impressive feats of engineering where shallow waters are diked, ditched, dug, drained and then filled for purposes of cultivation, habitation, industry and recreation. Meticulous planning aims to maximize each function. These flat expanses were a familiar sight to Worms, who grew-up in the Netherlands where more than half of the country’s land mass has been developed in this fashion.
Worms’ academic background in cultural anthropology trained him to notice these and other ubiquitous yet subtle imprints of human design on nature. As cultures evolve, they develop new understandings and methods to extract value from the earth; Worms uses photography to examine distinguishing features of resulting fabricated landscapes. In Polderland the horizon dominates, bisecting the manufactured from the celestial. The former is composed of reeds, lush grass, serene water, plowed earth, crops, ice, and sandy soil. The latter is set in contrast with gentle wisps of clouds, flat grey skies, the setting or rising sun, and threatening storms. The power of this series lies in the tension between the harmonious rendering of “nature” and the underlying complexity of the scenes.
For each of his series, Worms prints the images in a manner distinct to the project. In Polderland, the minimal planes of sea/soil and sky are developed as delicate toned platinum prints where close inspection reveals exquisite detail from contact printing of his 12x20 inch negatives.
For additional information or to request images, please contact the Gallery at 212 517-8700 or by email at info@lparkerstephenson.nyc