Pretty Dark | Museum Flehite

Young people today are growing up in a world where social pressure and performance play a major role. Annabel Oosteweeghel and Museum Flehite Amersfoort make this tangible in the exhibition Pretty Dark. The photo series by Annabel Oosteweeghel (1969) reveals the mental well-being of young people in a cinematic manner. The images are accompanied by probing and personal interviews with those portrayed. Pretty Dark will be on view from November 23, 2024 through June 22, 2025.

A perfect bubble
Constantly, young people are confronted with pictures and videos of people who look perfect and do only nice things. Growing up in this bubble of unreal image makes young people vulnerable. The pressure to create a perfect online personality on social media can lead to unrealistic expectations and a constant search for validation. In addition, it appears that lockdowns continue to have a major impact on youth. One in three young people suffer from mental health issues such as fear of failure, depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal thoughts and loneliness.

"My parents didn't notice that I felt so bad, because I kept up appearances during the day, but in the meantime I slept badly and would spend nights brooding and crying in bed." - Tip (24)

Strength
Annabel Oosteweeghel portrayed 10 young people, some from Amersfoort, some from the rest of the Netherlands aged 15-25, each with their own unique story. The setting of the photo series is mostly picturesque. For example, this time she collaborated with artist and fashion stylist Frank Visser.

Photographer Annabel Oosteweeghel: "In this series, we especially wanted to show the young people in their strength. After all, they feel better about themselves now. A positive message for everyone who goes to see the exhibition. There is light at the end of the tunnel".

The photographs are carefully staged and aesthetically portrayed. They are hushed moments where the people portrayed find themselves, frozen in the time in which they too self-consciously try to establish an identity for themselves. Each portrait is complemented by a personal interview about what it is like to grow up in an ever-changing world.

"I find myself reflexively checking my phone when the alarm goes off 24/7. I feel like my time is consumed by social media all day long." - Ji Yun (25)

Narrative photography by Annabel Oosteweeghel
Annabel Oosteweeghel (Bussum, 1969) studied audio-visual design at Academie St Joost in Breda. She calls her narrative photography "Imaginary documentary," because the images she creates take a social issue as their starting point, but are meticulously staged and stylized by her. In 2015, she published her first book, Oblivious. It earned her a place as a finalist in the Lens Culture Exposure Awards and a nomination for the 2015 Dutch Photography So Award. In 2016, she had a solo exhibition at Museum Hilversum with her series Old Love. With her series Insomnia, she had an exhibition at Museum de Fundatie in 2020. With this she garnered much success and rave reviews.

Pretty Dark Tabloid
Pretty Dark also appears in tabloid form, it contains Annabel Oosteweeghel's photographs, Joyce de la Croix's interviews and is designed by Eva van der Schans, Inedition. Visitors to the exhibition will receive the issue as part of the exhibition visit.