De grote afwezige
In ‘The Grand Absence’, Nickel imagines his father cannot attend the opening of his graduation exhibition. Instead they discuss the “objective photographs” he put on display over the phone. At intervals, their animated dialogue is intermitted with quotes and thoughts on art, photography and imagination.
This essay is Nickel's attempt to verbalise the deadlock he experiences between written and visual language. The question is: is it really necessary that the father come to see the actual pictures, or might the son as well explain what is there to be seen? At the same time ‘The Grand Absence’ deals with a more personal issue, that of a son lacking acknowledgment from his father.
Published along with six other essays, ‘The Grand
Absence’ formed Nickel's graduation work. His final exam was characterised
by the total absence of images. During evaluation as well as at the opening,
he merely recited a passage from the book. He graduated as a photographer
without showing any photographs.
‘De grote afwezige; Essays over fotografie’, as the publication is called in Dutch, is a self issued edition of 500. All text is Dutch. You can order one at the price of €14,50 (incl. postage within NL) by completing this form. You will receive a PayPal invoice through mail.