TOKYO-2020 Book / People

Rooting - Becoming Roots

  • Prize
    Silver in Book/People
  • Jury Top 5 Selection
  • Photographer
    Cara Louwman
  • Agency / Studio
    Cara Louwman Photography
  • Technical Info
    Photographs Are Made In My Studio In A Transparent White Box
  • Photo Date
    2019

Cara and Yuen Yee (sisters-in-law), a photographer and writer, embarked on a journey to investigate their relationship with their ancestors and how to bring their family histories into their own lives. Cara and Yuen Yee are also family. That is why, next to their own way of bringing their roots to the lived present, they interpreted each other's work: Cara by photographing Yuen Yee's family photographs, and Yuen Yee by interpreting Cara's work through words. Through their bond, they give rise to the merging of families, the inoculation of roots, fortifying them.

Cara Louwman (The Netherlands, 1967) is a contemporary fine art photographer specialized in creating images that tells a story. She uses photography as a mean to stage an idea and to present new perspectives on contemporary subjects. Her photographs are characterized by the use of multiple layers, sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. She creates images that are often different from a direct representation of reality. A recurring source of inspiration are cabinets of curiosities.