Artist Statement

The first twenty years of my life I grew up with my grandmother. When I was a teenager, I struggled with being gay in a small town. This made me feel left out and sometimes lonely. In these teenage years, I started building small decors in my bedroom and began photographing my friends and making self-portraits. 

Photography became a positive escape for me and through these images, I created a world where I could be myself and where my fantasy became reality. Now, ten years later I still work this way, but instead of pointing the camera only towards myself, I choose subjects whom I think deserve this superstar treatment. In my images, I like to work with unconventional subjects and I present a beauty that is other than the ideal we all know.

I am not interested in capturing reality, but I like to use my surroundings as an inspiration for my work. In my imagery, I like to form that reality towards my own imagination. In some senses, the framework of fashion allows for the creation of fantasy worlds. I choose my subjects very carefully and they tend to be those who are being left out in today’s society. I think the power of the camera is that I can give the outcasts the spotlight they deserve. 

The world of escapism and imagination is the essence of my work as a photographer. I build a world of fantasy, which is filled with colour and costumes, and I represent that world through my photography. 

My work is published in Vogue NL, i-D, Adformatie, AD, NRC and Trouw