About — Noah Valentyn
Noah Valentyn / Amsterdam
Photography & Art
I create photographic worlds in which people reveal their vulnerability and desire.
From a quiet portrait to an expressive tableau, light, colour and composition shape my work. My background as an actor brings an attention to the body and character. I work from Amsterdam, with New York and Los Angeles marking important chapters in my development.
Exhibitions & press ↗My background is in acting. I trained at the Amsterdam Academy of Theatre and Dance and appeared in film and television, including Het Schnitzelparadijs, Gooische Vrouwen and Hartenstraat. That experience carries into my photography, through an attention to gesture, expression and relationships.
In 2008 I moved to New York. After an internship at Interview Magazine, I worked with artist and filmmaker James Bidgood. His distinctive visual world and commitment to a personal style left a lasting impression. I also lived and worked in Los Angeles. The portraits, interiors and rooftops of New York come together in The American Dream.
Back in Amsterdam, I founded Studio DepartFrom with Alain-Celest de Buck. In 2017 I created a series for Public House of Art in collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, imagining the museum after closing time. Architecture, furniture and sculpture took on a new life. In 2018 I photographed the Pride ambassadors for the theme Heroes.
With Crying Boys, I explored the space for male emotion. The series was exhibited at Fort Kijkduin in 2020 and Rijksmuseum Muiderslot in 2021, with an audio tour I narrated myself. A Ghost Called Covid emerged during the pandemic. In 2023, Dreams Included followed at Pulitzer Amsterdam, centring on individuality and the freedom to dream.