Japan on a Glass Plate

This lavishly illustrated book gives an overview of the celebrated photographer Ruud van Empel's career, from the 1990's up to today. Lush vegetation in a jungle, butterflies in a field of colorful, blooming flowers. The work of Ruud van Empel (Breda, 1958) initially seems lovely, but appearances are deceptive: 'The struggle for life and death continues day and night in nature,' says the artist. Van Empel's works are wondrous and alienating at the same time. For however normal it may seem, he brings together things that never come together in reality. He uses countless details of people, plants, animals or objects photographed by himself to cut and paste digitally. On the computer, he assembles this material into a composition, a process that, until 1995, was done in an analog way. The resulting `collages¿ are ingenious and realistic, but the images do not exist in real life. With painting, film and (staged) photography as his sources of inspiration, he has, like a pioneer, developed a new genre. He himself speaks of `building a photographic image¿ or `photo-objects¿. With his precisely composed scenes, worked out to the smallest details, Van Empel plays with image-making. His fictional worlds seduce, they lead the viewer astray or cause a sense of discomfort. Without seeking controversy, there are 'other' meanings lurking under the surface of Van Empel's aesthetic images. In doing so, he shows us how we are influenced by different visual cultures in everyday life. This monograph offers an overview of Van Empel's oeuvre from the 1990s to the present day.