Artworks by Robin Buitendijk

My photographic series Prima Materia emerged during a turbulent period in my life. Without a preconceived idea, I began photographing in black and white. That choice was intuitive. For a few years, I let the process unfold in its own way. Gradually, connections emerged between the images, and the contours of a personal quest began to take shape.

I saw a certain kind of death. Photography helped me to keep looking. I discovered how much beauty and life were present in that darkness. What drew my attention in the outside world ran parallel to what was happening within me.

The title refers to prima materia: the unformed primordial matter in alchemy, from which something new can emerge through transformation.