Timeless portrait in black and white of Mukono (Uganda) by Dutch photographer Bastiaan Woudt. Bastiaan Woudt (The Netherlands, b. 1987) has a long-standing fascination with the African continent. So, a project to photograph the Ugandan countryside was a dream come true. He visited Mukono in central Uganda in October 2017. There, in addition to a commission from the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation, which supports local drinking water projects in the area, Bastiaan was given the opportunity to create his own work. During this short trip he succeeded in connecting with the people of Mukono. The result is a wide-ranging collection of remarkable monochrome portraits, alongside surreal impressions of the local landscape. This body of work confirms Woudt's typical aesthetic signature - sober but dynamic - which, despite originating at an early stage in his career, has already brought him extensive recognition at home and abroad. After starting his own photography practice from scratch a mere five years ago, with no experience or formal training, Bastiaan Woudt has developed into a photographer with a distinct artistic sensibility - abstract yet sharp, with a strong focus on detail. As a student of the history of photography through devouring photobooks and visiting museums and fairs, Woudt has a strong preference for classic subjects, such as portraits and nudes, and we see references to illustrious periods from photography throughout his work, such as Surrealism and the documentary photography of the 1960s and 1970s. But through a sophisticated use of both camera and self-taught post-production techniques, he brings his own graphic and contemporary style to the classical.
