Menno Kok

Be it as an art lover, teacher, curator, father, husband or photographer, Menno Kok is full-on. His behaviour reminds one of that of a mad collector. He collects tokens of nostalgia, evidence that we were here – in an attempt to conquer his love/hate relationship to photography.

By drawing attention to the mundane, he opens our eyes to the divine. In effect, Menno reveals to us who we really are, without even necessarily portraying us physically in the image. Those who’ve stood before his lens seem quite anonymous, but are omnipresent; fragile, yet empowered as well.

Kok contextualises the popular culture that we take for granted and opens our eyes to the mechanics that lie behind it.  His art is a balancing act right on the intersection between romance and cynicism. Opting for ‘the awkward’ in stead of ‘the beautiful’, he often leaves the viewer feeling just a little bit silly.