Colourama: Johnny Mae Hauser

Johnny Mae Hauser, (1997, Amsterdam), is known for her evocative and poetic approach

to photography. She has graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK),

where she refined her craft and artistic voice, nominated for Ron Mandos Best Of

Graduates 2022 prize, SBK sprouts young talents 2022 prize and winner of HEDEN

startprijs in 2022.

Her work captures the intangible aspects of human emotion, using soft, cool colour

palettes to create images imbued with stillness and introspection. By blending themes of

isolation and emotional intimacy, Hauser constructs a visual dialogue between artist and

viewer- one that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Her workflow is a

continuous process of reflection, internal exploration, and subconscious influence, with

photography itself forming just a small part of her artistic journey. A signature aspect of

Hauser’s work is her approach to printing and presentation. She prefers C-Print

techniques, which create a delicate and sensitive materiality that resonates with her work’s

emotional depth. She also avoids using frames or glass, opting instead to leave her

photographs exposed to heighten their raw, unfiltered impact. All of Hauser´s works on

show are unique artworks, printed just once.

At the centre of the exhibition is Bildnis, a series of abstract self-portraits that delve into

the connection between emotional memory and everyday objects. Originally conceived in

London in 2021 during a significant personal transition, Bildnis emerged from Hauser’s

experience of invisibility and became an exploration of the ineffable through blurred, still-

life compositions.

By presenting objects in a painterly, softened focus, Hauser challenges the traditional

notion of photography as a sharp, documentary medium. Instead, she invites viewers to

engage with what lies beyond visibility, questioning the interplay between reality,

memory, and perception.

In this exhibition the visitors get a unique glimpse into an overview of Hauser´s artistic

oeuvre, as works from series Fernweh, Finsternis, Unprocessed and Die Welle are also

exhibited. Notably, the “Unprocessed” is a stand alone piece, shown in the Alcove space

of the gallery, and it is one of the first photographs that Johnny Mae had taken after

giving birth to her first born child. However, the two works “Die Welle” come from a

period that followed her initial experience of motherhood.

Working within the bounds of personal introspection, abstraction and representation,

Hauser brings a unique outlook on the experimentation that is possible within the field of

contemporary photography.