SPANNENBURG.ARTart that matters
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Award-winning monochrome photograph of a male dancer performing a leap over a black SUV on a busy New York City street.

More from the series

THE STANDALONE MASTERPIECES →
A black and white fine art photograph titled Outcast showing a man sitting on a floor mattress in a desolate room.Black and white fine art photograph of a figure sitting inside a coastal cave overlooking a Mediterranean landscape.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.SAINT SEBASTIAN by fine art photographer Arjan SpannenburgA serene black and white fine art photograph of a figure standing in water next to a cliff side, exploring themes of nature and vulnerability.The artwork SEGREGATION; A high-contrast black and white fine art photograph of a person holding a wooden crucifix against their bare chest.

Award & Recognition

Photographer Arjan Spannenburg accepting the 2016 Dance Photo of the Year award from Leo Spreksel at the CaDance Festival, honoring his work "Jillis in New York."

2017

Dance Photo Award 2016

CaDance festival (by Korzo Theater and Danspubliek)

Arjan Spannenburg

JILLIS IN NEW YORK

"A black and white dance photograph, recognised with an award, that captures a moment of pure human triumph set against the gritty backdrop of New York City's traffic."

The Narrative

This work serves as a visceral manifesto on the resilience of human expression within the "concrete jungle." New York City is often defined by its hardness, an unrelenting flow of noise, steel, and anonymity. InJillis in New York, this urban chaos is not merely documented it is defied. The image captures a moment of pure triumphant liberation that pierces through the city’s static architecture. The profound impact on the viewer stems from the friction between the raw heavy reality of the street and the weightless elegance of the dancer. It is an invitation to reclaim one's movement and freedom even when the environment seeks to frame and confine us.

Visual Analysis

He taku whakaaro he whare toi ahua hou, he tino ngawari ki te aro ki te waahi katoa, na reira kaore au i tino whai kia waiho ai he 'taonga' ki runga. He waahi mahi noa te tuatahi, me nga taonga pera i nga whakaahua kia tino taunekeneke ki te waahi me te hunga e noho ana ki reira. Kia noho ratou ki te waahi, engari kaore ratou e noho hei 'whakaahua' mo te waahi. I roto i taku mahi rangahau i te nuinga o nga whakaahua i kitea e au i te ao katoa, na reira kaore au i tino whakaatu i te nui o te mahi whai whakaaro, kaore hoki au i tino whakahihiko i nga whakaahua. I te timatanga o te mahi, he ahua koretake ahau, me te whai kia waiho hei 'whare kaiako' pera i era atu whare. Engari, i te wa i tiimata ai taku mahi ki te tango i nga taonga takitahi, i kitea ai e au te rereke o taku tirohanga. I roto i te wa poto ka mohio ahau ki nga whakaaro o te tangata mo te 'āhua ataahua', te 'tino pono' me te 'whakawhirinaki marino'.

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Year

2016

Genres

DanceFreedomComing of Age