Fine art photographer Nico van Dongen pays his own homage to the power and beauty of trees with “Concerning Trees,” a series of striking images currently on display at Poet and/the Bench, the four-year-old lifestyle store and jewelry atelier space from Jeffrey Levin and Bonnie Powers at 11 Throckmorton Avenue.
Van Dongen says that botanical studio photography taught him to closely observe and capture what grows in our natural world. The transition from blossom to tree was enormous for Nico: Capturing that inner feeling of release as well as raised awareness, when you are amongst trees.
“These time-based photographs allow you to stand in the light as he perceives it; surreal and in motion,” Levin says. “The visual impression of the final multi-layered image, allows the mind to float between space and time for one moment.”
Originally from The Netherlands and now residing in San Francisco, van Dongen has five pieces exhibiting at Poet and/the Bench, with one large format print in its front window.
“These are more than photos, they are truly experiences,” Powers adds. “The layers are there to create an initial doubt in what you think you’re looking at. Once you see them you can turn them off, but at the same time you have to surrender to them.”
The 411: Poet and/the Bench is at 11 Throckmorton Avenue. MORE INFO.