[dropcap]L[/dropcap]eriche considers himself an art director first and then a photographer. Delving into the rich layers in his photographs enabled him to connect with deeper layers of his authentic self. This journey is a dramatic, ongoing and even vital process for him.
Born in Belgium in 1976, Leriche began his personal journey into Fine Art photography after years as a fashion photographer. After this experience, Jonas felt something calling him to create with more purpose. It was time to take a journey inward, to transform. This transformative decision allowed Leriche to delve into the rich layers of his profession.
At a young age, Jonas was fascinated by the beauty in nature, and it has exerted an elemental pull on him ever since. This authentic experience stands in shrill contrast with the world that we all can so easily get consumed by today.
Leriche constructs his photographs layer by layer, with meticulous attention to detail. Taking the actual photo is but the final stage of a long, deliberate process, punctuated by flashes of inspiration. Jonas is first an art director and then a photographer. Because for Jonas, photography is just a medium to transforms emotions, intentional and unconscious ideas into gripping images. His scenarios go far beyond the individual or the anecdotal, and his work is more then just merely aesthetically appealing photographs. They are larger than life images of dramatic, iconic figures that tap into a deeper level of experience, melancholy and mortality. The real quest, however, is to discover true inner beauty, mysterious beauty, for the viewer to gradually unravel.
Leriche’s artistic method is a dramatic, ongoing and even vital process. His ultimate wish is that his artworks will also awaken viewers to a process of reconnection with the essential. Struggling between the authenticity of nature, and the artificiality of photography, Leriche finds a perfect balance in pushing the boundaries of the natural in his production studio. In a world dominated by mere appearance, social media posturing and superficiality, the driving force behind the Jonas’s work is the desire to seamlessly inject the rawness and beauty of nature into his controlled photographs in order to challenge viewers that might be unaccustomed to scratching any deeper than the surface.
leriche.be | instagram.com/jonasleriche
