18. #TSPSP18 Robin De Puy on Travelling 8000 miles Across America on a Harley Davidson, Honest Portraits & Being Curious

Rob De Puy (www.robindepuy.com | Instagram: @robin_de_puy)
Robin de Puy’s (b.1986, the Netherlands) photographs start with a desire to tell her own story through the faces of others. Whether it’s the freckled adolescent she noticed whilst refuelling in Wyoming, the Dutch author, poet and columnist Remco Campert, or the boy Randy she met in Nevada whilst on her American road trip, de Puy sees the camera as an aid to understand the deeply personal traits and histories of each person, and how they also reveal something about herself. Many of her encounters are fleeting; a heartfelt glance into the life of someone else before time resumes its frantic pace. In others, as with Randy, those same transient experiences blossom into profound and enduring relationships. Regardless of which ending they have, de Puy’s photographs are always imbued with a sensitivity and timelessness that encourages a slow gaze on the human condition. Her images are chances for genuine human connection, and through sharing with them with the world, allow us to take part in such moments.
“A Joyous, Mysterious Portrait of Rural American Boyhood.” ~ The New Yorker about her project RANDY
Robin de Puy studied at the Fotoacademie Rotterdam and has been exhibited internationally at institutions and galleries including; Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (2018); Museum Hilversum, Hilversum (2017); The Hague Museum of Photography, The Hague (2016); Stedelijk Museum, Breda (2016) and Photoville, New York (2016). Amongst numerous other awards, De Puy was the winner of the National Portrait Prize in both 2013 and 2019. Her work is held in major public and private collections including Bonnefantenmuseum, Maasstricht; De Nederlandse Bank, Amsterdam; Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar; Centraal Museum Utrecht, Utrecht; Fotomuseum Den Haag, The Hague; Huis Marseille, Amsterdam and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague.
In 2015, de Puy took a 10,000 km road trip across the US on a Harley Davidson, making images that were published as the book If This Is True, I’ll Never Have to Leave Home Again in 2016. The trip was documented by Simone de Vries and Maarten van Rossem, and the film was nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2017.
Please enjoy!

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really helps makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests.

Follow Matthew:

Instagram: instagram.com/matthewdawalker

Twitter: twitter.com/matthewdawalker