Paul Rondags

Paul Rondags lives and works in Maasticht, the Netherlands. He was born in Maastricht in 1960. After high school he studied at the "Fotovakschool" in Apeldoorn and finished his degree in 1982. In 1988 he finished the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht. From 2012 -2013 he was a photography teacher at the Pentagoon Academy in Tongeren, Belgium. Since 2014 Paul has a job, as an evening concierge and portrait photographer at the Academy of Dramatic and performative Arts in Maastricht.

Artist statement:

What I like about photography is its simpleness and directness. The result, a photo, is just a click away. The 3D boxed in a 2D image. Reality framed. In a fraction of a second the world freezes and history is written. It’s magic. Simple as that. It's all about illusion. The transition of the visible world into a flat image.Therein lies its strength and appeal. It can convincingly tell a true story in a false story. I notice that I create my imagery more in a painterly manner

Where does my fascination for photography come from?

Instinctively I probably sensed that something magical was happening. Something that’s 3 dimensional captured in a 2 dimension

It’s magic, photographing. I’m fascinated by the way a photo transfers the reality into something else namely a two dimensional photo. It’s a transformation. It’s hard to explain. But it is a kind of wonder. A mysterie.

Robert Adams photos of people visiting a supermarket are sometimes out of focus and almost look random but they are great photos. It’s magic. An inspiration is Set Stills or Continuity Stills from the film world. Prior to a visit to the cinema, we always looked around in the lobby where the film was represented by beautiful Lobby cards. Afterwards we took another look at them and noticed that there were scenes photographed that weren’t in the movie. Always felt a bit disappointing.

About the series The Sun Is Gray:

The Sun is Gray

This ongoing series is a reflection on the outer visual world and the inner.

What color is hiding behind the grays.

Some days the world looks as if the world is gray. It's that hidding sun behind a cloudy atmosphere. It's that mysterious light that flattens the world.

The series captures the beauty and complexity of architecture, still life, light and darkness.

I like to improvise with a given situation, whatever material is at hand. Using fragments of personal history, memory and imaginations.

About the series Frozen Life:

Diorama is a representation of a reality. This wants to give an explanation about a certain animal, human or plant in a certain situation. It gives a visual explanation. It is a showcase of a life which is over. Often stylized and aesthetically shaped. It confronts us with our own transience. It’s like the figures come alive.

About the series Homemade Hoopla:

Homemade Hoopla, made in the Corona period. It was not possible to travel. The world became the home and its near environment. Hence the need to work indoors as well. Made my own little world with toys from earlier times as extras. The photos have a picturesque character and seem to tell a story. Homemade Hoople is a quote from Frank Zappa.

About the series The Sun is Gray:

The sun is gray is a series of photos taken during travels and encounters. It is an associative story, a story that represents a certain mood. It’s about the small notions of our surrounding. A tribute to the visible world.The photos refer to each other but can also work as stand alone photos.The whole suggest a narrative.

About the series P.F was here:

It’s a tribute to a long last friendship with Paul F. Paul passed away at the age of 43.In our childhood we would visit the inner of the caves in Maastricht. We would carve our initials in the marl. But I cannot find them anymore. As Paul dissapeared so our initials.

About the series Green Tea in a Mauve Mood:

The first pictures I made in 2011 that resulted in a book published by: Big black mountain the darkness never ever comes.

Thanks to Katharina and Christos.

Words by Gina Vodegel.

“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”

―Oscar Wilde