Current Exhibition

Altered Landscapes - A solo exhibition by René Clement - 11th December 2024

We are delighted to present Altered Landscapes, René Clement’s third solo exhibition at TINTERA. Expanding on his on-going series I Feel The Earth Move, Clement’s two new bodies of work, Fractals Arabesque and White Desert-Black Nights, continue his exploration of the landscape and the  visualisation of the passage of time through his use of digital collage and manipulation.

In Fractals Arabesque (2021-24), Clement presents flowers as fractals as a way to counter the present day political and climatic turmoil he sees being experienced globally. Found in nature, the physical body and in technology, a fractal refers to an infinitely complex geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-scale copy of the whole. In Islamic geometry the fractal is known to act as a stimuli to the brain generating harmonious emotions that are seen to induce relaxation and well being.

Playing with density, shape and colour Clement arrange his flowers, each meticulously digitally excised, in overlapping symmetrical layers to present kaleidoscopic like wreaths that appear to pulsate with an energy of their own. Whereas in his 2022 series Insomnia the multiplied tree branches resembling brain synapses alluded to the insomniac’s restless sleep, Clement’s fractals are the inverse; the colourful, variegated layers here creating absorbing, meditative totems touching on harmony, balance and spiritual perfection.

For Clement the desert acts as a contemplative haven. In White Desert-Black Nights (2019-2024), through long, multiple night exposures, he transforms the White Desert into a lunar like landscape. Made over two trips over a span of six years Clement worked with an assistant to light up the rocky formations as one would work in a studio with a model. Each limestone structure, already sculpted by millions of years of tectonic activity, erosion, and weathering are further enhanced by modelling lights magnifying each formation’s character and personality. Multiple exposures made to capture the details of the sand, rocks and sky are combined to build up the finished composition that is both surreal and subdued. With no light pollution and little trace of human encroachment Clement’s desert landscapes are a refuge from the everyday. They remind us of the ever changing force of nature and encourage a feeling of transcendence and humility in the face of such wonder.

René Clement (Dutch b. 1962) 

René Clement is a photojournalist and fine-art photographer. A native of the Netherlands, Clement lived and worked in New York before moving to Cairo in 2018. 

After many years of documenting life in America: a five-year project on Dutch settlers in Iowa and the on-going recovery of NY City after the attacks of 9/11, Clement turned his attention to landscape photography, specifically energy and time contained within the landscape. His first four series: Cityscapes, Seasoned, 4Sight and Kinetic Force were made in New York. 

Since moving to Cairo Clement has focused on the Egyptian landscape. His on-going series ‘I Feel The Earth Move’, is divided into several portfolios in which he plays with collage and multiple layered images to visualise the passage of time in nature and the urban landscape. 

Clement is co-founder of Borax Foundation for Photography in Nijmegen, Netherlands and a contributor to the ANP - Hollandse Hoogte Agency in Amsterdam. His work has been published throughout the world and his portrait photography and documentaries have been awarded numerous prizes including Time Magazine Picture of the Year and the Zilveren Camera competition.