Melissa Schriek is a Dutch photographer who uses the visual power of the body and its gestures to make it an integral part of the environment in which it is placed. The ethereal figures seem to float freely within the spaces that they themselves mark with their foreign yet indispensable presence.

“The body seems to be a contradiction in itself, and I am fascinated by these contradictions-they are dramatic but also ironic.”

Human relationships become part of an overall design, where the body is used as a tool for physical and emotional connection. The artist said that her research immediately revealed itself as a spontaneous need:

“From a young age I have been fascinated by my body. The way it can take shapes, how I can sculpt it and how it can move. It’s why I used to dance when I was younger, and it took me a while to realize that I could mix that interest with my interest in photography, combining the disciplines.”

Using her experience with dance and her artistic sensibility, Melissa Schriek was able to give voice to the image that for her represents the purest essence of the body.