Portrait

An ongoing photo series depicting young people who, under normal circumstances, often come together at nightclubs and music festivals. Now that their gatherings are limited to smaller groups within 1.5 m social distancing during Covid-19, I am interested in how they are doing and invite them for portrait sessions in my studio.

These portraits are about father-daughter relationships. It is an essay on my search for the special bond a woman can have with her father. The similarity and contrast between people who are closely related yet of the opposite sex hold a certain intensity, which I tried to convey in my photographs. For each portrait, the daughter chose a location based upon her memories from the past. The choice of background and how father and daughter pose together has resulted in the following images.
Adrienne Norman, Amsterdam 2000.

In 1989 I received a temporary residents permit in The Netherlands, with the help of Carl Everaert and Everaert Immigration Lawyers. A few years later, I received a permanent residents permit, and the Amsterdam law firm became one of my first clients in Holland.

My first assignment was to make portraits of two of their clients, a Korean restaurant owner, and an Australian artist. The firm used the images on their Newyears card and, the models received a print. Everaert received so many positive reactions, which in turn led to a yearly assignment for 15 years. The idea behind the project was to show the full range of immigrants, either working or living in The Netherlands.

Later they ordered a selection of 15 portraits enlarged as 70x70cm prints that to this day decorate the walls of their Amsterdam office, as well as the pages of their website. I still work for them, delivering business portraits of the lawyers and employees.

On assignment for the English tabloid The Sun, I spent an afternoon with Konstantia, a woman who is transforming herself into her ideal appearance. Beauty ideals, how we judge the other and ourselves based upon the outward appearance, is a recurring theme in my work and, in this respect, a perfect meeting.

During a visit to my home state Southern California, I stood daily with my camera in busy public areas where I talked to and photographed women passing by. The portraits were made within a few minutes of our first meeting and are a study of my fascination for beauty ideals and the outward appearance of people.

In 2004 the magazine Vrij Nederland published a four-page spread entitled: 'Everyone will be beautiful,' with text by Tanny Dobbelaar in their summer issue.
In 2005 The portraits were shown during the Dutch photography festival BredaPhoto entitled: 'Reconstructed Beauty.'
The prints for this exhibition were made possible by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds/Tijlfonds.

Living with a chronic skin disorder. In 2000 writer and philosopher Drs. Tanny Dobbelaar invited photographer Adrienne Norman to portray people with a chronic skin disease for a series of interviews she wanted to make with skin patients. Their work together turned into a two-year collaboration and resulted in numerous national and international exhibitions and the publication of the Dutch language book ‘Heftig vel.’ The book launching took place in 2002 during the presentation of the portraits in The Melkweg Photographers Gallery in Amsterdam.

Portraits made throughout the years, sometimes during a short meeting, but usually longer. I am interested in people and how they are doing. A work in progress...