Address

Dolph Kessler

Sanjesreed 3

9062 EK Oentsjerk

Tel  058 2154107

Mobile  06 51082598

Email:

info@dolphkessler.nl

dolphkessler@planet.nl

Visit also: www.denoordzeerond.nl

Representation

I am partly represented by Gallery van Kranendonk / The Hague 

Curriculum vitae

After studying urbanism at Delft University Dolph Kessler worked as a regional planner and later as a municipal executive councillor of Leeuwarden. From 1995 on, when he started his own business as a consultant and organizer of study tours, he became intensely interested in photography. From 2003-2006 he studied at the Fotoacademie Amsterdam. At the end of December 2006 he graduated with a series about art fairs.

He is a member of the GKf, the most important professional organization for documentary and autonomous photography in the Netherlands. www.gkf-fotografen.nl

Specializations

1. Travel photography. Since 2003 he has worked with writer and journalist Gerrit Jan Zwier. His photos were published in the Volkskrant (travel supplement Traject), the Leeuwarder Courant, and in magazines like Te Voet, Op Pad, Nordic, Op lemen voeten, Geografie Magazine. Stoockx, Man of all Seasons, Plus Magazine, VROM Magazine and Noorderbreedte.

 2. Documentary photography. He shoots documentary stories that partly appear as POD photo books in a limited edition. He also produces photographic projects in commission. He made the photo book Nieuw Winschoter Peil  for the municipality of Winschoten and Between Dokkum and the sea for the municipality of Dongeradeel. Through Friese Pers Publishers he made a book about Frisian eel fishermen. A photo book about Art Fairs was published by d’jonge Hond Publishers. With this photography he is in line with a documentary tradition. To record those things that are changing, that won’t be here anymore in the near future.

 3. Landscape and autonomous photography. He is especially interested in landscape photography. He also explores the area between autonomous and documentary photography, a border area in which one focuses mostly on reality. But instead of creating a purely photographic description Kessler tries to give the image multiple layers, so that it is lifted above the level of its immediate meaning. 

Upcoming exhibitions

2013        Huntenkunst Doetichem 

2013        Photofestival Naarden

Previous exhibitions

2013         Galerie steven Sterk / Dynjandi / together with Zoltin Peeter and Andre de Jong

2012         Gallery Smarius / Steven Sterk / Noorderlicht 2012 / Group exhibition / Around the North Sea

2012         Van Kranendonk Gallery, The Hague / Book presentation Around the North Sea

2012         Rosa Spierhuis, Laren / Exhibition with my sister Beppe Kessler

2012         Omrop Fryslan group exhibition / Longing for the coast

2012         Lauwerslandroute 2012 / Overall presentation

2012         Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen / Seascapes (with Zoltin Peeter)

2011         Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague / Group exhibition / Summer Expo 2011

2011         Kunsthal Rotterdam / 6 large photos from the Art Fairs series

2011         Galerie Anderwereld, Groningen / Around the polar circle (with Zoltin Peeter) 

2011         Catharinakapel, Harderwijk / Between art and coast

2010         Museum Smallingerland, Drachten / Art Fair photos in context of the Siver Camera

2010         Gallery Smarius/Steven Sterk / Une maison abandonnée / Noorderlicht

2010         Art Amsterdam / Gallery Smarius/Steven Sterk / Art Fair photos

2010         Gallery Smarius/Steven Sterk / Art Fair photos

2009         Scheeneroute / Seascapes

2009         Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen / NOK/ Art Fair photos

2008         Kunstmaand Ameland / Seascapes

2008         Lauwersland route 2008 / Overall presentation

2008         BAS gallery, Sneek / Ice skate photos of Thialf

2007         Museum Rotterdam, Rotterdam / RDM, The last days of a Rotterdam factory

2006         Italian Insitute, Amsterdam / Eastern procession on Sicily

2006         Omrop Fryslân / Group exhibition / photos of Cuba

2006         Natuurmuseum Fryslân, Leeuwarden / photos of Bali / part of Noorderlicht photo festival

2005         Latin American Institute, Amsterdam / photos of Cuba

2005         Noorderlicht / photos of Winschoten

2004         Huntenkunst / 4 panels (with Egbarta Veenhuizen) 

2003         Pip's Gallery / five ‘vorstelijke’ (royal/frosty) days / Series about ice in Friesland

Hans Maarten Post weblog 12 januari 2010 (http://utopiaparkway.wordpress.com/about/)

about The Art Fair Book

I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one to find art fairs and gallery openings rather funny and confusing. I know I should be looking at the paintings on the wall, but I always get distracted and start to observe the art loving crowd even more. That’s why Art fairs – Mise en scenes from the art world by Dutch photographer Dolph Kessler just had to be my book of the month. It’s a collection of photo’s taken at art fairs around the world. More of Kessler’s pictures after the jump.

We are a funny bunch, aren’t we? Putting on our fancy clothes to go from opening to opening. Just to look and be looked at. Dolph Kessler was intrigued too by that rather theatrical setting, so he decided to travel the world, for three years, and take pictures at important art fairs.

He visited Frieze Art London, Art Cologne, Paris Photo, Art Dubai, Art Basel Miami Beach and even Art Brussels. He was aiming for pictures that would have a little bit more than just a documentary aspect to them. He really wanted them to have a theatrical feeling: as if the tableaux were ’staged’, with actors instead of just people accidentally walking by. Kessler likes to draw parallels with religion and churchgoers too. I’m not really following him on that one, but his pictures sure are fun to look at. The book is in Dutch and English and comes with a couple of essays and an interview with Mathew Slotover (Frieze Art London).