Bud
This is a man from another era. His eyes are squinted in a sharp, intense glare. At first, I thought this face came straight out of the film classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a 1966 spaghetti western with brilliant music composed by Ennio Morricone. This would be “The Ugly,” one of the […]
Protest
This composition is full of protest. An angry person, wearing a Chanel shirt, throws a bottle. You’d expect a stone or a Molotov cocktail, but it’s a bottle with a Chanel logo. There are also letters on the right, referencing the protests by women in Iran—women who no longer wanted to be forced to wear […]
Typical Dutch
In the Netherlands, we have lots of rules and regulations, but we’re not always so strict about enforcing them. I notice this a bit because I work a lot with addicts and sometimes with young ex-offenders. We have laws, but we also try to be practical. I think this is a perfect example of that: […]
Say Yes
Just say YES—someone really did that and ended up having all sorts of adventures. Jim Carrey portrayed this in 2008 in the movie Yes Man and won an MTV Movie Award for it. Saying YES has something incredibly positive about it, which is why I find this message so beautiful. Say yes—yes to yourself, to […]
People are good
Rutger Bregman is a well-known Dutch historian who stirred things up at the 2019 Davos meeting of the world’s wealthy elite when he spoke about tax avoidance. We had already observed that the rich were getting richer at a rapid pace, and that hasn’t changed. Between 2019 and 2021, 63% of all wealth went to […]
Boemannetjes
They look friendly, but they aren’t. If you hang these little creatures in a child’s room, the child will have a bad night. That instantly tells us what they are: Boemannetjes—creatures that make sure children stop misbehaving or prevent them from going to certain places. Essentially, a tough form of discipline. Boemannetjes are also known […]
Not so fluffy
Three images of the same rabbit, standing alert on its hind legs with a Kalashnikov at the ready. Normally, rabbits evoke a kind of affection, a desire to pet them. But I wouldn’t recommend that with this one. In any case, rabbits aren’t fond of being petted, as I know from experience. They’re prey animals, […]
ZAAP
I stumbled upon this by chance in Amsterdam Noord. I was doing a photoshoot with a well-known DJ and wandered around the area with him. The shoot went okay, though I thought it could’ve been better—but then again, I always think that. This composition was a nice bonus. It’s really just color, except for the […]
I can’t breathe
This graffiti is small and located in an unremarkable spot. I discovered it while I was dancing hard at a festival and needed to sit down for a moment. The image refers to one of those moments that changed history: the arrest and mistreatment of George Floyd, a Black man. The graffiti may be small, […]
Gabber
It’s the only youth scene that originated in the Netherlands, specifically in Rotterdam. Hardcore house music and a good amount of drugs fueled long nights of dancing. The Gabber scene: bomber jackets, Aussies, and shaved heads. But despite the tough clothing, it was a kind scene. Kind but intense, and Gabber is something that comes […]