With her latest series ‘We’re part of the natural world’ she created fictional rooms (as a kind of portrait) for scientists who research ecosystems and who are actively involved in nature and the environment. 

Ilse Schrama often chose nature, people and religion as the subject of her photography. 

Initially she worked as a documentary photographer and made reports about Buddhism in Laos and Myanmar, Islam in the Netherlands, Iran and New York and ancestor worship in Vietnam. She then switched to digitally editing photos from her own archive, developing her own poetic graphic style. With the series ‘The Orphic Desire’ she depicted the longing that people have for love and for children. In the series ‘The Garden of Eden’ she wanted to depict both the biodiversity in nature and the sexuality of animals and humans. 

Ilse Schrama (1964 – 2022) studied Dutch Language and Literature at the University of Amsterdam. In 1993 she started as a documentary photographer. In 2000 she worked for a year for Magnum photographer Steve McCurry in New York. After that she developed in the direction of autonomous photography. She has a number of books to her name, including Buddhist temple life in Laos (2006), Het Orfische Verlangen (The Orphic Desire, 2011) and A bright night in the garden of Eden (2016). www.ilseschrama.nl 

Opening: Sunday, March 12, 13:00 – 15:00 

The exhibition is on show from Saturday, March 11 to Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Pennings Foundation, Geldropseweg 63, Eindhoven. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 17:00. The booklet We’re part of the natural world will accompany the exhibition.