Mirage

For “Mirage” van Schaik went back to his beloved Las Vegas. He goes there about every two years to make photographs. The beauty of the golden desert light is the starting point for the series. Van Schaik: “ The city of Las Vegas is in itself a mirage. Seen from the desert it’s blurred in the soaring heat, a fata morgana. Furthermore the promise to win big is all an illusion, yet everybody believes in the dream. When I’m out there photographing, I’m constantly trying to capture that illusion” Maarten van Schaik is inspired by chaos in the city. He sees the city as an exploration and a hunting ground for his images. In these crowded places he is always looking for forgotten areas or “black holes” as he himself describes them, where light, materials and color come together within the frame of his camera. Literal registration of objects doesn’t interest van Schaik as much. He regards conveying feeling and “the color” of the moment as far more important in his photography.