I clearly remember me walking around the Central Pavilion of the 55th International Art Exhibition of Venice Biennale, absolutely exhausted from strolling around for almost straightforward 10 hours the Giardini, lost in between international pavilions and waves of tourists. I was ready to give up when all of a sudden, in the 13th room of the exhibition, I stumbled upon some photographs that captured my entire attention from the very first second. Human bodies, captured as though they were simplified forms composing a hyper-vibrant poster designed by an outrageously talented graphic designer. The eye-catching imagery left me unable to decide whether all was clear or just plain confusing.
Each photograph was standing still, however revealing a dreamy scenery, bodies that carried something nostalgic and honest. I was witnessing a choreography of shadows, forms and daring lines behind frames that could not impede the urge of these elements to move. Part of Viviane Sassen’s childhood was spent in Kenya. Three years were enough to create vivid and honest images depicting fragments of her consciousness. The same fragments made her drop fashion design and focus on photography. Every shot she takes is an honest visualized edition of her relationship with the scenery she is witnessing, through a professional and at the same time naive perspective of what other photographers would capture as traditional and local. Still, the result comes out as a mishmash of forms and colors conversing in perfect harmony with a familiar, yet mysterious environment.