Artist
Prins de Vos
Prins de Vos (1991, Raamsdonk) is a Dutch photographer living in Amsterdam. In 2013, Prins graduated with a Bachelor Design from the Academy of Popculture (Leeuwarden). Their work touches on themes such as intimacy, sexuality and gender. Prins' first photo book Enclose (2013) was launched in photography museum Foam, and included a poetic introduction, written by Dutch author Arthur Japin. In 2022, Prins published their second photo book BOYS DO CRY, about Levi, who is an artist, poet and trans man.
BOYS DO CRY
.36Boys do cry breaks the taboo on male vulnerability and contributes to the emancipation of trans people.
For seven years, from 2014 until 2021, I have been photographing Levi, who is an artist, poet and trans man. I portrayed him at important moments in his life: for example right after he was forced out of his apartment, but also just a few days after his bottom surgery. The title of the series comes from the tattoo Levi has on his stomach. It's an important phrase, because: boys dó cry.
Being trans, you are often portrayed by media as vulnerable in a negative sense, but this series shows that daring to be vulnerable is actually extremely powerful. Therefore the series reclaims vulnerability in the queer community.
Hanane El Ouardani's powerful imagery confronts notions of memory and cultural erasure, prompting viewers to reflect on identity and belonging in a transnational world. Orbiting the subject of home, her project The Skies are Blue, The Walls are Red (2018) serves as a visual diary of diasporic identity, whilst her more recent series The Grass is Greener on the Other Side (2023 – ongoing) offers a revealing glimpse into Kuwait's socio-political landscape.
Gilleam Trapenberg’s project Currents (2022 – ongoing) also studies identity, revealing a complex and personal relationship with his island homeland of Curaçao. Throughout all his projects, Trapenberg delves beneath the alluring surfaces of Caribbean life, examining how mass tourism and colonial legacies have shaped distorted images of the region. Meanwhile, with New Suns (2018 – 2023) his approach is increasingly abstract, dissecting the evocative Caribbean sunset with almost scientific precision.
In Farren van Wyk's series Die lewe is nie reg vir my nie (2016 – ongoing), her focus turns to gang culture in Port Elizabeth’s Schauderville district, offering a nuanced portrayal that transcends common stereotypes. The project underlines how resilience and humanity remain a constant within the community, offering a means of survival and brotherhood.
Elsewhere, Prins de Vos' BOYS DO CRY (2014 – 2021) centres on the queer community, dismantling various taboos surrounding male vulnerability and transgender identity. With each intimate portrait of Levi, an artist and trans man, de Vos captures raw emotions and celebrates the power of self-expression.
Finally, Suzette Bousema's work takes the environment as its starting point. Her project Super Organism (2020 – 2022) studies mycorrhizal fungal networks that are crucial for our ecosystems, but threatened by human activity. Supported by scientific insight, the project highlights the valuable symbiosis of plants and fungi – inviting viewers into a multisensory connection with these hidden networks.