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Works by Arjan Spannenburg

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Arjan Spannenburg (b. 1978, Texel) is a Dutch fine art photographer based in Almere. Specializing in high-contrast black-and-white portraiture, his work explores the fragility of male adolescence and the search for queer identity. He is represented by ZERP Galerie (Rotterdam) and has exhibited at PAN Amsterdam, KunstRAI, and internationally in Turin and Kuala Lumpur.

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

RECONNECTION

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

SENTIENT

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

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

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

ESCAPADE

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

SANCTUARY

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

OUTCAST

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

SEGREGATION

SAINT SEBASTIAN by fine art photographer Arjan Spannenburg

SAINT SEBASTIAN

Fine art photograph titled "SUB ROSA" by Arjan Spannenburg

SUB ROSA

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 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

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 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

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

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

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 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 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

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

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

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

PERSISTANCE

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

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

GROOMING RITUAL

"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

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 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

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

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

SOLACE

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

BLIND

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

SEARCHING

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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