I launched a new photo project called ‘People of the Netherlands‘. The ambition for the project is to photograph people of all nationalities and with different ‘countries of origin’ in my studio. At the end of the project, a document will have been created that represents the faces of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands, one of the most diverse countries in the world.

According to CBS (Central Bureau for Statistics), there are 17.9 million people living in the Netherlands, 8.7 million men and 8.8 million women. With 192 different nationalities, the Netherlands can be considered one of the most diverse countries in the world.

As a professional portrait photographer, I photograph people daily, and specifically their faces. My fascination with the human face and interest in people and their backgrounds were the basis for the creation of this project.

I think population groups, nationalities, and the origins of people in the Netherlands are too often expressed in numbers. I also believe that there is too much misunderstanding and unfamiliarity among the diversity of origins. I want to give everyone a presence in his project.

By getting to see, know, and appreciate each other better, I hope to show with this project that there is no such thing as a stereotypical Dutch person and that everyone living in the Netherlands is Dutch.

Progress of the project.

The goal is to photograph as many ‘countries of origin’ as possible. The project is scheduled to run until the end of 2024 at the latest. On World Diversity Day in 2024, on the 1st Friday of October, I plan to present the photos in an exhibition and release them in a table book. In the meantime, the progress can be followed on peopleofthenetherlands.com.

Participate in the project?

I am still looking for participants in the project. I am looking for one man and one woman per ‘country of origin.’ If you find this project interesting and would like to participate, visit peopleofthenetherlands.com for more information and to sign up.