Dutch photographer Ellen Kooi produces eye-catching images with elements of surrealism that seem like scenes from a dark fairytale. Each photo in her growing collection of work features its own imaginative narrative, leaving the viewer to decide what happened to lead each subject into the eerily scenic destination.
Using the beautifully haunting forests and fields of Holland as her backdrop, Kooi carefully sets the scene for each of her images of these women and young girls stranded in nature. In a sense, the environment plays a significant role, almost serving as a second character.
Each element complements the other and works in unison to heighten the effective display of the female form interacting with nature. One also can’t help but notice a resemblance between some of Kooi’s work and Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World painting. Her images seem like modern-day interpretations of the artist’s iconic American painting.
