In Conversation With... Our New Artist Stella Gommans

In the series ‘In Conversation With…’ Elliott Gallery asks the photographers—represented by the gallery—about their work, inspiration and future plans.

Our most recent addition to the gallery is the mesmerising work of the Dutch artist Stella Gommans. Here she talks about the launch of her photography career, her strong passion for nature and the making of her first series.

1. Elliott Gallery is thrilled to welcome you as one of our Artists and your work has already received a very positive reaction! How do you feel about this journey that has just begun for you?

Oh, I can tell you it already feels like a wonderful ride. A journey with such a great start, only in my wildest dreams I could have imagined this. But it is also a journey where there is so much to learn, see and explore and I feel privileged that Elliott Gallery has taken me under their wing.

2. What drew you into photography in particular? What do you find most appealing about this artistic medium?

What drew me into photography in particular is the incessant love for an image, whether it’s a life scenery in front of you, a scene in a movie, an image well captured or a painting. No matter what the subject is, an image, frame or scenery can literally move me.

In the past I’ve been working in the TV-industry for quite some time and producing a show with a little group of people, all with the same desire and craftsmanship to create something beautiful, depending on the subject of course. But since television (or at least creating it), has such a temporary nature, this always felt like a drawback for me.

And with photography, for example, there is this possibility that it’s ‘everlasting’. Beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder but when something touches you, if it lets you create a story, if it surprises you or moves you, you can frame it and enjoy it as long as you want.

3. ‘A Declaration of Love: or - flowers in Dutch light’ is your first series, an exquisite body of work with captivating compositions of still life. What was the biggest challenge you had to face throughout the whole process?

The first thing that absolutely comes to mind is ‘perfectionism’…this one is always biting me in the *ss, also in this series, so I forced myself to let this go. Especially since gifts of Mother nature took the stand. They’re perfect as they are, no matter what stage they are in. And there is this beautiful parallel between flowers and the way we tend to look to ourselves. See how they naturally bloom in all their strength, vulnerability and beauty.

Where ‘normally’ irregularities and imperfections are removed, that was not an option in this series. The brittle petals, little cracks or dark spots, they were there. And would it be more beautiful if they were removed, that’s the question.

Now I invite the viewer to look closer and sometimes take a step back. A thing one should do more often also in real life. And whilst bathing in the famous Dutch light, it’s also a bow to the Dutch Golden Age painters.

Attitude is Everything by Stella Gommans

4. You are known to the Dutch public as a former dancer and TV presenter. How do you think this will affect your career as a photographer?

The parallel that is there between, dancers, presenters, photographers and artists in general, is that they’re not afraid to show their work. Artists, despite all their uncertainties, love to be on stage, whether it’s in a theatre, a museum, a gallery or in front of a live studio audience.

Trying to feed the viewer with an extra dose of serotonin. Think of the last time you saw this beautiful piece of art or listened to live music, saw someone dance or watched a documentary that moved you. And that is exactly what my intention is, trying to move people, that’s the relationship between being a former dancer or tv presenter. And will it affect my career as a photographer, I don’t know, time will tell but it has taught me so far that the experiences build in these disciplines can be translated to my life as a photographer.

5. What are your plans for the future?

If there is one thing I am looking forward to, is experiencing and enjoying where this adventure is bringing me. I absolutely want to create more series where elegance, poetry and aesthetic prevails. “Dream big” is what I keep saying to myself every single day, travel to Japan for the wonderful nature, get overwhelmed by the massive mountaintops and explore all Mother Earth has to offer. Captured and ready for your daily shot of serotonin!

Interview by Eirini Alexandrou (Elliott Gallery) April 2021

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In Conversation With...Elliott Gallery27 April 2021