Dorthe Alstrup

Within Spaces

What interests me are the nuances and subtleties of human relationships, the moments of tension that are created when individuals exist within the same environment. I stage photographs that depict the ways in which individuals interact. Although the characters may exist within the same visual frame, they may find themselves in different worlds psychologically. I take interest in what underlying tension and feelings exist between these people; the moments of jealousy, distrust and uneasiness, but also the quiet moments of contemplation. What happens between the characters within the frame is never completely clear. The narrative is left unresolved. Issues of fiction and non-fiction are apparent when dealing with lens-based art. What captures my attention, however, is when elements of reality exist in the same space as elements of fiction. In my work I stage ordinary people, as opposed to actors, and I situate the photographs somewhere between fiction and non-fiction.

—Dorthe Alstrup