Bertien Van Manen, Lets sit down before we go

19th March- 24th June 2012 FOAM Amsterdam

As you walk into the exhibition space you are immediately immersed into imagery, as if you had stumbled into someone’s personal photo album littered with pages concealing memories. The exhibition comprises of over 60 photographs created between 1991 and 2009 of Van Manen’s travels though Russia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tatarstan and Georgia all shot using a small 35mm camera. The use of basic photographic equipment is what really makes this series of work successful, creating not only intimacy, but a sense of equality between subject and photographer. "She stayed for long periods with the people she met on her travels, learned their language and usually became friends with them.  This produced intimate and sometimes tender photos resulting from a personal and sincere relationship. In Bertien van Manen's humanistic approach, photographer and subject are equals and the mutual respect is palpable."

There is a strong sense of reflection in this collection of photographs, this is also suggested in the title of the exhibition, Let's sit down before we go, refers to an old Russian custom: before you leave on a journey, take a moment to think about where you come from, where you are going and why.