UNDER THE SURFACE

Photography has always been closely connected to the desire to see, record and understand. From the earliest scientific photographs to contemporary techniques of art research, photography has made visible what the human eye cannot see.

Under the Surface brings together historical photography and the research photography of René Gerritsen, connecting different moments in the history of photographic observation. Alongside historical documentary images, the exhibition presents scientific and technical photographs, including early microscope photography, X-ray images and other forms of photographic research.

These photographs were not necessarily made with the intention of creating art. They were made to investigate, document and reveal: to look more closely at the structure of a specimen, the material of an artwork, or something hidden beneath its visible surface. Yet in doing so, they often produce images of extraordinary visual complexity and beauty.

The work of René Gerritsen continues this tradition. His X-ray, infrared and ultraviolet photographs are instruments of art historical and conservation research. They reveal layers, traces and processes that remain invisible in an ordinary photograph, allowing us to see an artwork in an entirely different way. By bringing these images together with historical examples of scientific and documentary photography, Under the Surface explores photography as both a tool for knowledge and a visual language in its own right.

The exhibition does not seek to define where science ends and art begins. Instead, it invites us to consider how an image can simultaneously be evidence, research, documentation and something to look at for its own sake.