One of the most daring and experimental fashion photographers of the 2000s, Dutch photographer <a href="http://vivianesassen.com">Viviane Sassen</a>’s documentary, portrait and fashion images are often surreal and disorientating, placing the human body in ways that appear abstract and geometric. <em>Of Mud and Lotus</em> is Sassen's first solo Joburg exhibition and in it she explores the notions of metamorphosis transformation and procreation - all elements traditionally associated with the female form - in her own distinctive style.<br /> <br /> Sassen's experimental images utilise collage and hand-coloured items and intertwine the arts of performance and abstraction. In <em>Of Mud and Lotus</em> Sassen takes the female form and merges it with nature, using organic materials like milk and flowers to hint at the sensuality and complexity inherent in femininity. Rich in colour and texture, Sassen's seemingly abstract images reveal themselves to be layered with multiple meanings.