Witho Worms

Witho Worms (b. 1959, living in Amsterdam) is a Dutch artist-photographer. His background in visual anthropology has lead him into an ongoing investigation in the medium of photography and its claim for natural representation and factuality. His special interest is concerned with the landscape. To be more precise, he finds his subjects where a clear distinction between a natural and cultural environment cannot be made.

His works are in the collections at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden; the National Gallery of Art in Washington; the New York Public Library; the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi; Bayerische Staatliche Sammlung, Munich; Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken in the Netherlands, among others. His work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Stedelijk Museum and FOAM in Amsterdam, the New York Public Library, C/O Berlin and the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco. He is the author of Cette montagne c’est moi (Fw: books, 2012), an award-winning book designed and published by Hans Gremmen.

In January 2006, Witho Worms started to photograph spoil tips or slag heaps in Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Wales. These mountains are the visual remnants of the coal mining industry. In Europe, these black pyramids are the symbols of a vanishing era that began with the industrial revolution and has now evolved into an age dominated by binary code. For more information on the series Cette montagne c’est moi (2006-2011), click here.

In his series 1 Two Tree (2013 – 2016), Worms photographed forestry in Finland, Sweden, France, and Belgium. Click here for more information on 1 Two Tree.

When You Look at a Landscape…
This series comprises of sixteen full-frame 30×50 cm contact prints in an edition of three. The detailed large-format views are rendered in three layers of carbon tissue made with matt Bone Black pigment (the first two layers) and glossy Japanese Sumi ink (the third layer). After transferring the printed image on a a final support paper, the order of the 3 image layers reverses. The two ‘bone black’ image layers are on top of a shiny Sumi ink layer – showing every shade of black in the masked areas.

Inspired by the concept of ‘rewilding’ of a writer and environmentalist George Monbiot (Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea and Human Life, 2013), Witho Worms had dedicated his journey along the arctic coastline of Norway in the summer of 2016 to ‘rewilding’ himself. After having photographed man-made landscapes for fifteen years, for the series When You Look at a Landscape… he immersed himself in a natural environment: untouched, wild and unpredictable. The primeval, uninhabited panoramas of sea, glaciers and mountains continue Worms’ fascination with the interplay between nature, vision and the camera. The images engage the infinitude of landscape with the limits of a frame, shaped by the artist and the technical apparatus itself.

Click here for a CV

Extended review on the group exhibition Suspension of Disbelief
Het Parool, 16-06-2017

Extended review on the group exhibition Suspension of Disbelief

3/5 star review of the exhibition Suspension of Disbelief, a group exhibition with works by Laurence Aëgerter, Emily Bates, Marijn Bax, Marjolein Blom, Tanja Engelberts, Anne Geene and Arjan de Nooy, Sarah Mei Herman, Géraldine Jeanjean, Miho Kajioka, Ola Lanko, Bertien van Manen, Antoinette Nausikaä, Satijn Panyigay, Diana Scherer, Carolien Scholtes, Wouter Stelwagen, Maarten van Schaik, Witho Worms Download PDF
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 094, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 078, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 090, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 083, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 107, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 080, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 070, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 060, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 055, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 APfrom the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 071, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 058, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 052, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 050, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 043, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 034, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Noorwegen 044, from the series When you look at a landscape…, 2016-2019 | 3 layer carbon print with matt Bone Black pigment and Japanese Sumi ink | Image 30 x 50 cm, frame 40 x 60 cm | Framed in black wooden frame with a black matte and museum glass | Ed. 3 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 01, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 02, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 03, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 04, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 05, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 06, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 07, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 08, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 09, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 10, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 11, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 12, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 13, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Polderland NL 14, 2004-2006 | Platinum-palladium print | 28 x 48 cm | Ed. 10 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Setterich, Germany, 2006-2011, carbon print, 15 x 48 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Farciennes (Chemin d´ Aiseau), Belgium, 2006-2011, carbon print, 19 x 49 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Chełm Śląski I, Poland, 2006-2011, carbon print, 18 x 49 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Boussu Bois, 2006-2011, carbon print, 15 x 48 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Marcinelle, 2006-2011, carbon print, 15 x 48 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, Carvin, France, 2006-2011, carbon print, 15 x 48 cm, 5 + 2 AP
Witho Worms, France 103, 2013 - 2016, 3 layer carbon prints in titanium white on single weight baryta paper, framed, 48 x 28 cm, 1 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Finland 002, 2013 - 2016, 3 layer carbon prints in titanium white on single weight baryta paper, 48 x 28 cm, 1 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Belgium 214, 2013 - 2016, 3 layer carbon prints in titanium white on single weight baryta paper, framed, 48 x 28 cm, 1 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, Belgium 203, 2013 - 2016, 3 layer carbon prints in titanium white on single weight baryta paper, 48 x 28 cm, 1 + 1 AP
Witho Worms, 202_YRB,
Witho Worms, 103 BRB,
Witho Worms, Air & Space, 2017, Hahnemuhle PhotoRag BW papier, 80 grams, 21 x 14 cm
Witho Worms, Water & Earth, 2017, Hahnemuhle PhotoRag BW papier, 80 grams, 21 x 12,25 cm
Witho Worms, Earth & Air, 2017, Hahnemuhle PhotoRag BW papier, 80 grams, 19,5 x 13,95 cm
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