In Sweet Life, Ed van der Elsken captures a vivid photographic journey, spanning a 14-month voyage around the world in 1959-60 with his wife Gerda. Beginning in Africa, their travels took them through Asia, North America, and Europe, culminating in a work that is as much a celebration of life as it is a critique of global realities. Elsken, known for his deeply personal and raw style, was already an established figure in Dutch photography, often considered the “enfant terrible” of the field for his emotional, confrontational approach. Sweet Life stands as one of his most significant works, offering a complex interplay of joy, struggle, and cultural diversity.
The backdrop of the project is the transformative political and social changes of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Elsken’s lens traverses newly decolonized nations in Africa, bustling Asian metropolises, and the sprawling landscapes of America and Mexico. This context of shifting political landscapes is critical; the world was on the brink of radical change, with the Cold War simmering and post-colonial nations fighting for autonomy. Elsken’s journey reflects both a personal exploration and a broader narrative of global transitions, capturing a world where ancient traditions meet the relentless march of modernity.
Artistically, Sweet Life is a meditation on contrasts: between freedom and oppression, tradition and progress, joy and sorrow. The title itself hints at a duality; while “sweet” moments of love, community, and beauty are found throughout, the book also presents darker themes, from economic disparity to the remnants of colonial exploitation. Elsken’s subjects are often marginalized individuals, people he calls “my kind of people” — those who live on the fringes, yet vibrate with vitality. His work challenges viewers to see beauty in struggle, insisting that life’s sweetness and bitterness are inseparable.
Visually, Elsken employs a dynamic, high-contrast style. His compositions are often close-up, intense, and deliberately chaotic, reflecting his belief that photography should be as emotionally raw as possible. Black-and-white dominates, with deep shadows and grainy textures that amplify the gritty, visceral nature of his subjects. Whether it’s a Zulu couple dressed in their finest clothes in Durban or fishermen in Mexico using ancient techniques, Elsken’s images are saturated with texture and emotion, creating a tactile experience for the viewer.
Technically, Elsken utilized a combination of 35mm film cameras and innovative printing techniques, including deep gravure, which gave the images a physicality and richness that intensified their emotional impact. His process was spontaneous and improvisational, often reflecting his life’s unpredictability. This approach gives Sweet Life a cinematic quality, where each image feels like a frame in a larger narrative, and the sequencing of the photos creates a powerful rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of life.
The 1966 publication was paired with the Stedelijk Museum’s exhibition Hee... zie je dat!?, which framed Sweet Life’s scale and sequencing, and later retrospectives—most notably Camera in Love (Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 2017; Jeu de Paume, Paris, 2017; Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid, 2018)—kept the work in view. Today Sweet Life is often cited as influential on diaristic and street practices, informing later approaches by artists such as Nan Goldin and Larry Clark.
