Whenever I say that I make fine art photos of Middle Eastern countries, people presume I make photos of conflicts and wars. In some way, there’s a logic behind this thought. In the daily news, Middle Eastern countries are mostly broadcasted because of conflicts. Truth is, that I do the opposite. I make photos of daily life situations without covering the news. In fact, I actively avoid conflict areas. But even without going to conflict areas, conflicts do have an impact on the photos I make. Photographing in conflicts.    Generalizations   Before explaining my point, I wa ..read more

  What you see are minimal colors and silhouettes. A view that would be green and pale in daylight. Another mountain view of a small Middle Eastern country, known for its religious diversity. No persons are photographed, yet you see the living parts of society in this photo. ‘Eternal Light’ is made 35 km outside of Beirut in Lebanon. The last glimpses of daylight fade away behind the mountains, the cross of the monastery lightens up. Trees become silhouettes. A warm mystery scene is the end result.     The making of   ‘Eternal Light’ is made at an unexpected moment. While s ..read more

  The photo above is made in Tsfat, Israel. In the photo are three orthodox Jewish men. They pass by in the streets of the old city center. In a mysterious way, the photo reflects the history of the town in combination with the traditions of the Jewish faith, represented by the three men. Asking permission to photograph   Although the three men are clearly in the photo, I didn’t ask literally permission to make the photo. That means before I made the photo I didn’t ask in words if the men were ok with being photographed. At first glance, this might sound impolite. Still, that is not ..read more

  Did you ever meet someone who had a severe chronic disease, invisible from the outside? A person who looks healthy at first glance but has serious malfunctions in daily life? Even the smallest things take a lot of effort to do and many tasks can’t be accomplished. Someone who’s ill in every corner of the body and the doctors don’t know how to cure the person? photographing in Lebanon If that person could be a country, it would be Lebanon.   After almost one year and a half of lockdowns and insecurity caused by the pandemic, I was finally able to make new photos again, this time in ..read more

To begin, the title needs some explanation. I named the photo ‘Palestinians in Wonderland’ as a referential to the sign on the wall that’s being pictured by the man. Truth is, in the times I visited Palestine I never experienced it as a wonderland. The title ‘Palestinians in Wonderland’ is more correct in the way of the craziness and surrealism of the situation. Obviously caused by the ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict, for both parties.   I realize that I start the description of the photo with a sense of precausion. There’s no conflict in the world that’s harder to discuss than the Isra ..read more

  Before I answer this question, let me tell you this. My very first exhibition was in the Dutch village I grew up. My photos were exposed at the local art fair. I was close to my work all day, talking about my photos. In the afternoon my brother visited me. I was standing next to my brother when visitors asked him how he made those photos in Iran? He politely pointed at me. The people’s faces looked surprised. After being quiet for a moment they wanted to know how a woman could go to such a dangerous country all by herself? They couldn’t imagen that I made the photos of Iran. I’m not kid ..read more

  After some nerve-racking days, Joe Biden will be the US next president. It’s an understatement to say that he inherits highly tensed relations nationally and internationally. Among others with longtime foe Iran. The relations with Iran went from bad to worse during Trump’s presidency. Diplomacy was translated into a maximum pressure policy and the nuclear agreement broken. International business Iran During his campaign, Biden already mentioned he would take a different approach than Trump and go back to diplomacy with Iran when elected.   Without a doubt, going back to diplom ..read more

France is shocked after a relatively quiet period without acts of terrorism. The recent stabbings near Charlie Hebdo, the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty and the killing of three people in a church in Nice caused a déjà vu to earlier attacks. All acts were related to the Islam and France’ secular society. Just like the attacks a few years ago. Acts of brute violence that killed multiple citizens. They hit France’ society in the heart. The killings of Charlie Hebdo and the shooting at the Bataclan are the most memorial and symbolic. President Macron spoke emotionally about the division betwee ..read more

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