Enchanted Spaces

photographs and text by
Marrigje de Maar

I am a restless traveler, who keeps on leaving, but never arrives.

I have been taking pictures of interiors since 2002. In the beginning I worked in worn out, rejected buildings, later I concentrated on private homes.

Interiors tell stories about people. In
public space people follow the global trends and fashions. In their homes they tend to make other choices. The private space is the only place where we are ourselves.The personal story is told
inside the privacy of our home.

I never travel along a pre-fixed route. My trips are guided by intuition and by experiences along the way. Roads that attract me, people I meet and stories I hear. The doors I choose to knock on rarely hold a clue about what I may find inside.

I never visualize anything beforehand and my pictures reflect my first impressions.
The image comes alive in the existing light.

Many of my interiors give evidence of a frugal life, of inhabitants who are able to make their personalities known with only a few means. In my work I concentrate on this authenticity and dignity.

My pictures tell a story about these people, a story that reaches beyond material reality.

Everything visible in the picture was there. I never change anything. I only use the available light. I use colour negative film and print both analog and digital. During this process no drastic changes are made either.

— Maarigje de Maar took part in the 2009 Rhubarb-Rhubarb International Photographic Review.