Solo show Danielle van Zadelhoff - Gallery Ysebaert
Private preview: 05.02.2026 (19u00)
The exhibition runs until 22.03.2026
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In February, Dutch photographer Danielle van Zadelhoff will present her monochrome works in Belgium for the first time, at Gallery Ysebaert.
In her portraits, vulnerability and mystery meet in a subtle yet powerful way. The faces captured by Van Zadelhoff radiate a quiet intensity. They tell a story of openness and fragility—a story that cannot be fully understood and only partially revealed.
With her camera, Van Zadelhoff shows what vulnerability really looks like. She portrays people without masks: intense, honest, and recognizable. Her work touches on the everyday and invites the viewer to connect—to allow emotions and discover what often remains hidden.
The use of chiaroscuro plays an important role in her visual language. The tension between light and dark reinforces the sense of visible and invisible, of consciousness and subconsciousness. This technique, known from the Renaissance and used by great masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt, lends her work a classical layering. At the same time, her photography feels distinctly contemporary, subtly combining drama and intimacy.
The portraits invite you to slow down, look, and experience what unfolds between light and shadow—a world full of vulnerability and mystery.
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About Danielle van Zadelhoff
It all started in 2013, at Antwerp train station. Danielle van Zadelhoff picked up a camera for the first time and captured a mother and child walking across the platform. It was an everyday scene, but the way their posture and gaze told a story touched her deeply. At that moment, she realized that images can capture emotions where words fall short.
What makes Van Zadelhoff's work so special is the purity and vulnerability that each creation exudes. By first engaging in a confidential conversation with her models, Danielle succeeds in developing a visual language that is personal and recognizable. Her camera reveals the story behind the person; as a viewer, you immediately feel a connection through the sincerity of the emotions. Her compositions force you to pause for a moment and reflect on feelings that would otherwise pass you by.
The contrast between light and dark is decisive in Van Zadelhoff's work. She seeks out the shadows to focus on what we don't normally see immediately: the side of a person that often remains hidden, the subconscious. For her, these dark areas are not emptiness, but the place where real emotion resides.
The tension in her work stems from her use of chiaroscuro. This technique, in which masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt used a specific light source to create depth and drama, gives her photographs an old-fashioned feel. But although the technique is reminiscent of the past, her work is contemporary; the portraits tell stories of the present day.
Van Zadelhoff's work has received much international recognition from leading art institutions. What she creates touches many people. Each portrait forms its own melody of the fleeting; a moment of human emotion that lingers long after viewing.