Bastiaan Woudt, a young and largely self-taught artist, first attracted acclaim in 2016 when he was awarded the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation Prize which made possible Karawan, a series of work in Morrocco. For Mukono, a project that began as a commission from the Marie-Stella-Maris Foundation developed into a narrative achievement evincing Woudt’s timeless aesthetic.

In the tradition of Walker Evans and the Farm Security Administration photographers, Woudt tells a community’s story by focusing on the individual and intimate.

Travelling to Mukono, Uganda to photograph the water resources in a region with limited access to safe water, Woudt transforms a documentary project into a visual poem. Talismans permeate the series — water jugs, hands — resulting in an allegorical and cohesive body of work distinguished by a blend of classicism and contemporary post-production techniques.