I am Astrid Ufkes, born in 1958 in Apeldoorn. I studied at the art academy for a number of years, completed the photography school, and am an interior designer. That I only found my true passion in 2013 arose from a turbulent period for me in which both my husband and I suddenly lost our jobs.

The recently completed photography training and a visit to the exhibition of photographer Ruud van Empel in Antwerp turned out to be my springboard to a life as a photographic artist. Photographing and looking at the world around you with different eyes was also my way of processing this difficult period. It also meant a first serious search for the motivations of being an artist.

The series Me Myself and My World (2013-2015) shows this emotional search in all its facets. These are the emotional worlds that at that moment dominated my life. Forms, lines, abstract landscapes with occasionally a recognizable shape and therein two silhouettes as wandering, searching humans. The fact that this series is particularly in black and white is a reference to this difficult period.

Silently, this period transitions into a new balance in which there is also room for others. This results in a series You Me and Our World - Eyes, (2015-2017) in which the eye is central, a symbol for looking at a new period, looking at the other, having an eye for.... By photographing the eyes of people I know and allowing them to be part of a work of art, I was able to use the world around me in the portrait I made of that person, sometimes very recognizable, but also often a dream image. Also special is the book I made together with writer Adam van Donk, 13 photographic artworks from the series Eyes, to which he wrote his story.

The very newest series: You Me and Our World – MagicalLandscapes, tells my story at this moment.

I have found my way in what I do and who I am. It literally and figuratively brings color to my life, which also symbolizes this newest series. By traveling a lot and embracing new cultures, I have discovered that 'being without judgment' is one of my core values and this is translated by placing elements in my work literally in their own strength. Freedom and being who you are are also symbolically to be discovered in my work. In contrast, you can find forms of protection and shelter.

The choice of which elements I choose is intuitive and has everything to do with my emotions at that moment, but they are always elements I have photographed myself.

It is clear that contrasts belong to me. The tension field of this appeals to me and can be found in multiple expressions in my work. It creates alienation and magic. My work is not always easy to read; you have to make an effort, there is more than the first glance shows. If you look closer, it can take you on a journey of wonder, beauty, humor, and perfection. If you look closely, you will see that the two silhouettes are still present, but no longer as wandering, searching humans. They have become my signature.

My work has now been seen in galleries, museums in Italy (2014 and 2019), Germany (2015), and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Groningen, Apeldoorn), magazines, and books and has found its way to companies and individuals. I am a participant of the Stichting Ateliers Apeldoorn, Galerie Salon West in Amsterdam, and included in the organization OverdeKunst. In August 2020, my first solo exhibition was scheduled in New York, but was postponed to August 2021 due to the coronavirus.