Although highly skilled in experimental forms beyond lens-based practice (as seen in her solo show ‘It is what it is’, Camberwell College of Art, London), Gioia de Bruijn’s conviction is that the aesthetic element in fine art should not be killed by an ‘arty’ concept. As a somewhat controversial photographer, Gioia is fond of the wildness already present in nature and man. In her ‘weekend warriors’ series, she shows the beauty of her friends during an afterparty that lasted until ‘Tuesday afternoon’. Often her subject is defined by the wild landscape, open areas, with or without people, looking for natural behaviour.
With great ease, Gioia de Bruijn makes intimate reports, leaving out the voyeurism. People look at her as if there is no camera around. In her raw images of naked friends or even in her family snapshots, man comes to life. Seeing her work is like being amongst friends, experiencing the silence of nature or smelling the rot of a carcass
