Arnhem photographer Maurice Jager has 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 his 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, Maurice Jager photographs people daily, and specifically their faces. His fascination with the human face and his interest in people and their backgrounds were the basis for the creation of this project.
According to Maurice Jager, population groups, nationalities, and the origins of people in the Netherlands are too often expressed in numbers. He also believes that there is too much misunderstanding and unfamiliarity among the diversity of origins. Maurice wants to give everyone a presence in his project.
By getting to see, know, and appreciate each other better, Maurice Jager hopes to show with his 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. In the spring of 2025, Maurice Jager plans 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?
Maurice Jager is looking for participants in the project. He is 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.
