Micky Hoogendijk
Micky Hoogendijk
“Art has always been part of my life. I grew up in an international art scene in Europe, I spent years in front of the camera as an actress and model. Then my life’s work changed when my late mother’s last gift, a camera, inspired me and became the drive behind the creation of new life.”
Art has always been an vital part of Micky Hoogendijk's identity. Born in Amsterdam July 8, 1970, Micky Hoogendijk grew up in an global environment of art; surrounded by artists, art dealers, theater makers, actors and dancers. Micky's grandfather, Dirk Hoogendijk, was one the most successful art dealers in the Netherlands over the last century. As a little girl, Micky spent many hours in the painting workshop of her father, painter Roelof Frankot. He began as a photographer before changing his focus to abstract art.
“I want my art to be more than photographs. I seek out innovative printing technologies to create images with depth and richness, so they appear almost three-dimensional. I happily live and work in Los Angeles, CA.”
In 2009, Micky Hoogendijk received the last gift from her ailing mother: a professional still camera. This gift would change the course of her career forever. Two months later, her mother passed away. She moved to San Francisco, where she discovered the magnificent lines and architecture of the city behind the camera. By 2010, living and working again in Los Angeles, Micky Hoogendijk uncovered her talent for artistic portraits. She moved to Austin, Texas in 2012, where she created her first body of work. By 2015 she was back in Los Angeles, where she continues to work as an artist.
“The starting point of my work is an encounter, dream or object that culminates in an explosion of ideas. On set, I allow my model’s instinct and personality to melt together with my camera and drive my creative inspiration. I coax trust, contact and vulnerability from my subjects in order to produce an image from which the viewer can then create his own world. Recurring themes are religion, society and mythology; each work is intensely personal and takes both me and my subject on a journey that provokes fundamental questions about life and our existence.”
Mickyʼs work is characterized by keen legendary images that profoundly touch your soul. With her camera she captivates with lighting. Her images frequently contain religious and mythological themes as well as a taste of the daily. The heart of her work provides a journey for the nobility of vulnerability. She creates pieces without embellishment that expresses the influential nature of raw emotion. This theme is unmistakeable in her recent portrait series Regal of 2012.
Micky is incredibly unique in the sense that she feels just as comfortable behind the camera as she does in front it. Pulling you in by exposing her own experience, she grasps and feels the emotions of her subjects and leads them to reveal all to her lens. The camera links her to her beloved mother and her own past. As a photographer and artist, she has come full circle. Growing up in the art world, Micky has found that everything seems to fall into place on her path as a photographer.
