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Photographs by Frederik van Sluijs
He loves detail because it allows so many discoveries

From childhood on Frederik van Sluijs has shown an interest in the small parts that are the building blocks of an organism.
This is already discernable in drawings of seashells that he made as a child in which minute details come together to a  coherent totality. This focussed curiosity made him pursue a career as a veterinary surgeon. He became a specialist and a  professor in surgery and is still working in this area. Besides scientific articles he also published a book on surgical me thods. The book contains an abundance of colourful photos that seem to deal with nothing but detail. Surgical precision  can only be obtained through attention for details. Years of study and practice shaped and sharpened his vision. He learned not to rely on a rapid first impression but to look always further, to investigate what makes things look like they appear to us. This scrutiny turns  into a captivating adventure that offers many surprises. It shows how a minute change can make a  world of difference. Figuratively, this quality is visible in his scientific reasoning and his ability to place subjects in a broad  context. He has used photography in a broad sense as an aid in his professional career. But in his own photographic work  he chooses subjects outside t he field of surgery. Although the beauty of a fine-looking veined skin should not be underestimated. Name it Amaryllis to turn the thinking. The idea behind Frederik's photos is authentic. It is not affected by  the advancing technical possibilities of photography. Many artists take up the digital brush to add something special to their  work. Van Sluijs is not interested in these tools. His photographs reveal more than you see at a first glance and this initiates  a reversal of thinking. Creativity but also a vast experience in examining, in proper seeing give his photographs a thrill that  make them more than just a simple image.

Claar Griffioen | EastWestArts, Utrecht

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