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All Artworks by Arjan Spannenburg

41 artworks in total

Fine art photography 'Erosion' by Arjan Spannenburg: a young man sits hunched on a coastal rock with a metal chain around his neck, symbolizing the struggle to preserve youth against the passage of time.

EROSION

"A visceral meditation on the futile human struggle to anchor fleeting youth against the relentless erosion of time."

2026Fine Art Photography
A conceptual fine art portrait of a shirtless young man chained to a tree in a sun-dappled forest, symbolizing the struggle to hold onto youth and the transience of beauty.

POSSESSION

"A visual metaphor for the human desire to arrest time and "chain" youth to prevent the inevitable decay of beauty."

2026Portraiture
Fine art photograph titled "SUB ROSA" by Arjan Spannenburg

SUB ROSA

"In the tension between the coarse grain of the rope and the velvet breath of a rose, we find the silent strength of a truth held in trust."

2025Monochrome
B/W art: Hand holds electric razor to shave body hair. Close-up, intimate.

GROOMING RITUAL

"A minimalist black and white exploration of contemporary masculine identity through the intimate act of body hair maintenance."

2025Monochrome
Black and white fine art photograph of a figure sitting inside a coastal cave overlooking a Mediterranean landscape.

SANCTUARY

"Capturing the profound solitude and nascent leadership in a contemporary Moses figure, exploring the genesis of strength from isolation."

2025Fine Art Photography
Fine art photograph titled "WHERE IT CALMS" by Arjan Spannenburg is a black and white fine art photograph of a person in a latex suit and gas mask, exploring themes of queer identity and sensory deprivation.

WHERE IT CALMS

"A provocative monochrome study of queer identity and psychological sanctuary through fetish aesthetics and gas mask symbolism."

2025Monochrome
Fine art color photograph titled 'The Quest' featuring a young man with white wings and arrows posing as Cupid in a dark forest.

THE QUEST

"A contemporary reimagining of the Cupid myth exploring the transition from adolescent innocence to the complex burden of adult identity."

2025Classical dialogue
A winged man covers his eyes with his hands against a dark forest background, evoking a sense of internal reflection.

BLIND

"A visceral study of sensory deprivation and internal focus, 'Blind' captures the raw emotion of a modern winged protagonist."

2025Classical dialogue
Fine art color photography by Arjan Spannenburg titled 'De last van het hart', showing a crouching Cupid with white wings covering his face in a dark forest, symbolizing the heavy emotional burden of love.

THE BURDEN OF THE HEART

"A painterly, conceptual color portrait depicting Cupid in a moment of overwhelmed introspection, exchanging his role as the hunter for one who bears the heavy burden of love."

2025Classical dialogue
A young man with wings and a bow stands among dark leaves, embodying a vulnerable contemporary Cupid.

SEARCHING

"A contemporary reimagining of Cupid exploring male vulnerability and the quest for identity within a lush, natural landscape."

2025Classical dialogue
Fine art portrait of a young male model dressed as Cupid holding arrows, standing in a dark forest setting, representing the piece 'The Question of the Heart'.

THE QUESTION OF THE HEART

"A contemporary fine art reinterpretation of Cupid exploring themes of adolescent vulnerability, romantic introspection, and mythological symbolism."

2025Classical dialogue
A serene black and white fine art photograph of a figure standing in water next to a cliff side, exploring themes of nature and vulnerability.

CAPTIVATION

"Explores the profound human condition, juxtaposing transient existence against the immutable power of nature."

2024Fine Art Photography
A high-contrast, black-and-white fine art portrait titled DOMINION by Arjan Spannenburg, depicting a man in a state of absolute submission. His head is tilted down and held firmly by a hand gripping his hair from above, while a leather gag and collar emphasize a profound physical release. A thin, single strand of saliva falls from his open mouth, capturing a raw, primal moment of vulnerability and deep trust.

DOMINION

"A profound study of psychological liberation, capturing the moment where the safety of trust allows for the total surrender of shame."

2024Portraiture
A black and white fine art photograph capturing a masculine back leaning into a textured tree trunk, emphasizing skin texture and shadows of foliage to represent masculine vulnerability and a connection to nature.

REVIVAL

"A profound exploration of masculine vulnerability and introspection, offering a sanctuary of solace."

2024Monochrome
A high-contrast monochrome photograph by Arjan Spannenburg titled "EMERGE." The composition focuses on two figures in a desolate sandy landscape. A man with his bare back to the camera finds sanctuary in the dark, layered robes of a second figure, whose head is wrapped in a traditional covering. The wind catches the fabric against a minimalist horizon.

EMERGE

"EMERGE captures the raw honesty of self-unveiling, where shadow meets the light of newfound confidence."

2023Religious
A close embrace between a bare-chested man and a figure in dark traditional robes on a bright sandy beach.

SOLACE

"SOLACE offers a profound vision of shared burdens and relief, redefining the embrace as a sanctuary of common ground"

2023Religious
A monochrome fine art photograph by Arjan Spannenburg titled ROOTED, featuring a bare-shouldered man and a figure in dark Middle Eastern robes embracing in a vast sand dune next to a weathered Scots pine with exposed roots.

ROOTED

"Arjan Spannenburg’s ROOTED explores the intersection of queer vulnerability and cultural displacement beneath the ancient Dutch Scots pine."

2023Religious
Black and white conceptual fine art photograph 'SANCTIONED' by Arjan Spannenburg, featuring a family in a protective stance while several hands reach in from the edges to pull them apart, highlighting themes of resilience and social pressure.

SANCTIONED

"A defiant monument to rainbow families, challenging the viewer to choose between protection and destruction in an increasingly polarized world."

2023Portraiture
A black and white photograph of a man reaching out to shake hands with his own shadow on a textured wall.

RECONNECTION

"A profound conceptual photographic exploration of self-discovery, inviting deep introspection and dialogue."

2023Fine Art Photography
The artwork SEGREGATION; A high-contrast black and white fine art photograph of a person holding a wooden crucifix against their bare chest.

SEGREGATION

"A profound digital composition that invites the viewer into an internal dialogue regarding the complex interplay between belief systems, human existence, and the institutional structures of religion."

2023Religious
AUSTERE explores the delicate tension between the individual and the invisible frameworks of Western ethics, capturing the haunting beauty of inherited cultural burdens through a minimalist lens.

AUSTERE

"A minimalist meditation on the fragility of identity, where the sacred meets the secular in a haunting dialogue of restraint and inherited ethics."

2022Religious
Contemporary fine art photograph by Arjan Spannenburg titled IMPERISHABLE, featuring a side profile of a male subject carrying a large wooden cross against a black background in a Dutch Master chiaroscuro style.

IMPERISHABLE

"A bold reclamation of the 'universal burden' that transcends heritage, capturing the indestructible resilience of the human spirit in a single, timeless silhouette."

2022Religious
SAINT SEBASTIAN by fine art photographer Arjan Spannenburg

SAINT SEBASTIAN

"Instead of physical arrows, this work captures the psychological resignation of modern adolescence through the timeless lens of classical chiaroscuro."

2021Classical dialogue
A black-and-white fine art photograph titled RECIPROCATION by Arjan Spannenburg. The image showcases a highly choreographed, sculptural interaction between two men on a dark stage. One man stands in a dynamic, athletic pose, balanced with one foot on the chest of a man lying prone below him. The standing figure wears a leather harness and holds a chain leash connected to the collar of the lower figure, who wears a camouflage hood. The high-contrast lighting emphasizes muscular definition and the intentional, mutual trust of the performance.

RECIPROCATION

"A dramatic black and white study of power dynamics, balance, physical trust, and the intersection of classical athletic form with contemporary leather subculture."

2020Monochrome
A poetic black and white image by Arjan Spannenburg where sharp nature overlaps a blurred male figure, symbolizing the hidden struggles of queer identity.

ESTRANGED - YANNICK

"A sophisticated chiaroscuro study exploring queer alienation and the search for sanctuary through the metaphor of selective photographic focus."

2020Portraiture
Black and white fine art photograph titled Rapture by Arjan Spannenburg, showing a close-up of a man's neck and head held in a gesture of surrender and trust.

RAPTURE

"A profound exploration of vulnerability and surrender through monochrome fine art photography, capturing the delicate balance between power and trust."

2019Monochrome
"Yearning" by Arjan Spannenburg: A museum-quality black and white fine art photograph exploring the profound emotional depth of longing and the human condition, depicting a man in an Ajax jersey licking a sneaker in a display of radical desire and devotion.

YEARNING

"Explore the raw vulnerability and controlled tension in this museum-quality artwork."

2019Monochrome
A nude figure in a protective fetal position at night, illuminated by a spotlight in a dark forest; a photographic metaphor for being overwhelmed by emotion.

INUNDATE

""INUNDATE" is a hauntingly beautiful study of the human condition. It captures that precise moment when the weight of our inner world mirrors the vastness of the outer world."

2019Portraiture
Arjan Spannenburg shows a dramatic black and white fine art photograph titled "LOVED," featuring a lean figure in a state of intense surrender. The subject wears a leather mask and is connected to a rustic wooden post by a heavy metal chain. Below, a pair of hands gently yet firmly cups the subject's waist, providing a grounding, protective touch that contrasts with the themes of restraint and vulnerability.

LOVED

"A profound exploration of intimacy and the radical act of trust, reclaiming the imagery of restraint as a sanctuary of love and mutual surrender."

2019Monochrome
Arjan Spannenburg's "PERSISTANCE": B/W image of a masked man with chains, hand adjusting headgear. Provocative art.

PERSISTANCE

"Leather, longing, and the limits of control: Spannenburg's exploration of submission."

2019Monochrome
A high-contrast black and white artwork titled Sentient featuring a person in a concrete architectural structure.

SENTIENT

"Explores the profound paradox of security versus the innate human drive for growth and the unknown."

2019Fine Art Photography
Fine art black and white portrait titled 'The Observer' by Arjan Spannenburg. A young man in a black turtleneck stares intently at the viewer with clasped hands. Winner of the FEP Awards 2019 Merit in Portraiture.

THE OBSERVER

"An award-winning black and white portrait exploring the psychological reciprocity of the male gaze and the tension between armor and vulnerability."

2019Portraiture
The Artwork COMING OUT : showing a blurred figure transitioning out of a wardrobe in a high-contrast black and white fine art photograph by Arjan Spannenburg.

COMING OUT

"Powerfully confronts personal truth, vulnerability, and societal pressures, earning international acclaim for its profound narrative depth."

2018Fine Art Photography
A high contrast black and white fine art photograph showing two nude masculine figures embracing in a dark forest setting.

ESCAPADE

"A profound exploration of human vulnerability and the quiet sanctuary found in unmasked intimacy, captured with masterful monochrome depth."

2018Fine Art Photography
Fine art photograph by Arjan Spannenburg titled 'Kiss Goodbye,' featuring a vulnerable shirtless man reclining on a dark wooden cabinet beside a bouquet of red roses, symbolizing the numbing pain and exposure of lost love against a dramatic black backdrop.

KISS GOODBYE

"A cinematic and classical study of grief and devotion, featuring a reclined male figure and a bouquet of red roses against a void."

2018Portraiture
A man in a state of spiritual surrender with a chain around his neck, exploring the fine art themes of trust and divine submission.

SUBMISSION

"A visceral exploration of the ultimate surrender, questioning if true trust exists between the human spirit and the divine."

2018Portraiture
Abstract black and white fine art portrait 'CONFUSED' by Arjan Spannenburg, featuring a man in a leather harness and handcuffs dissolving into motion blur.

CONFUSED

"An exploration of the boundaries where the physical self meets metaphysical struggle through long-exposure photography."

2017Monochrome
Black and white fine art photograph titled DESIRE by Arjan Spannenburg, featuring a muscular male torso with a leather harness and handcuffs, utilizing motion blur to represent identity.

DESIRE

"A silent affirmation of the power found within one's own truth and fetish identity."

2017Portraiture
A high-contrast black and white photograph by Arjan Spannenburg titled WORRIED, featuring a man in a leather harness and handcuffs with a downward gaze and a blurred secondary exposure.

WORRIED

"A portrait capturing the psychological burden of hesitation and the moment before self-disclosure."

2017Portraiture
A black and white fine art photograph titled Outcast showing a man sitting on a floor mattress in a desolate room.

OUTCAST

"Confronts the profound weight of societal pressure, capturing a raw, monochrome narrative of vulnerability and the struggle for self-reclamation."

2017Fine Art Photography
Award-winning black and white photograph of a male dancer performing a leap over a black SUV on a busy New York City street.

JILLIS IN NEW YORK

"An award-winning black and white dance photograph capturing a moment of pure human triumph against the gritty backdrop of New York City's traffic."

2016Monochrome