Ballpoints (2006-2007)

The images that I make consist of often illogical combinations of materials, patterns, colours, forms – like patterns made with the use of a ballpoint pen – with my head as the only constant factor. I plan my work carefully and consciously. By using familiar objects, like a ballpoint pen, I want to achieve transformation and construct a slightly different perspective on the world.

Here, it is my head that is the carrier of these transformations and combinations. The expressionless and almost universal face allows the viewer to project himself onto the work. Because the works have really existed and have not been digitally manipulated, each image contains a short history of a performance.

Repetition is a theme I find very interesting, as you can use it for different ends. By using the same head and facial expression, the person slowly becomes of secondary importance to the form. The elements that remain constant lose their value and the elements that change become the subject of the work. In this way, I create a shift in the hierarchy of values.

LEVI VAN VELUW
born in 1985 in Hoevelaken (the Netherlands), lives in Arnhem (the Netherlands)
www.levivanveluw.nl

Levi van Veluw studied painting at Artez Institute of Arts in the Netherlands, where he became interested in photography. He also interned for photographer Erwin Olaf. Since graduating, he has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in a short period of time, with his work being showcased in several different locations across Europe and the States, earning him a number of prestigious awards that include the Photographer of the Year Award at the IPA International Photo Awards in the USA. His works have been published in the Village Voice, El Pais and Domus magazine among others and exhibited at the Armory Show in New York, Museum of Arts and Design New York, and at the Scan Photography Festival in Barcelona.