In a little more detail...

Nol van Dongen
Photographer Documentary

Nol van Dongen (1952) makes journeys to the periphery. Boundaries and areas of transition continue to inspire
him. As do the places where tradition and modernity meet each other. At the fringe where an otherwise
forgotten way of life is visible. This can be the unexpected places of the city, though he is just as likely to
search far off places of Europe.
One straight line from Utrecht’s ‘Seven Alleys’ (De Zeven Steegjes) to the Danube Delta in Romania. It is of
importance for him to capture the Specialness of The Ordinary, and then he prefers to speak of The Poetry of
Everyday Life.
In Tracks of Light (Sporen van Licht) he investigates the peripheral areas of his home country and in Angle of
Co-Incidence (Grenshoek) the border territories of (particularly East-)Europe. It is clear that we are looking
here at a work-in-progress. One journey following another, in his hometown or far away.
Stand-still (Sur-place) focusing on the train station waiting rooms of Budapest (Hungary) and Hunyadi-rapsody
(Hunyadi-rapsodie) focusing on the Danube, are recurring themes that look to be recognized in the context of
this work. Along with his more or less thematic way of working he choses in Beyond The Last Stop (Voorbij
De Laatste Halte) for an intuitive approach: His personal experience photographed, provides a chronicle of daily
life on the road