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![portrait of Nevin for The Hague city archives]( "portrait of Nevin for The Hague city archives")
infoNevin, she came to the Netherlands in 1966, after started working various jobs she worked for 26 years as a cleaner at the House of Parliament, being the first Turkish employee there. I made these portraits with great pleasure, and with Nevin, I immediately felt a connection from the moment I stepped through her door. Cityhall The Hague
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![portrait of Gülcan together with her mother and daughter for the Hague Municipal Archives]( "portrait of Gülcan together with her mother and daughter for the Hague Municipal Archives")
infoFrom June 6 to August 26, the portraits of 12 Hague-Turkish women with interviews about personal migration stories from their own experiences of mothers, sisters or in-laws can be seen in the Atrium: all from the perspective of women. I am proud to be able to contribute to this project with portraits that were made in their homes to give these personal stories a face. City Hall The Hague
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![Sketch detail in darkroom]( "Sketch detail in darkroom")
infoSketch research in the darkroom on project IVF Netherlands - getting pregnant is not child's play
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![Sketch detail in darkroom]( "Sketch detail in darkroom")
infoSketch research in the darkroom on project IVF Netherlands - getting pregnant is not child's play
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![Jo, Saint George 1967, Drakeblood]( "Jo, Saint George 1967, Drakeblood")
infoPortrait of Jo with his couple in his backyard in Beesel, Jo played Saint George for the Dragon Crossing in 1967.
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![Beekstraat, Beesel]( "Beekstraat, Beesel")
infoRoute through Beesel from the Maas to the Market Square where the dragon was tamed
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![draak lam tam, 1935]( "draak lam tam, 1935")
infothe dragon tamed in 1935 through the Beekstraat
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![Portrait of Ran for the exhibition 300 years of Pinkas]( "Portrait of Ran for the exhibition 300 years of Pinkas")
infoPortrait for assignment in collaboration with NIG Haags Gemeentearchief for the exhibition 300 years of Pinkas. An exhibition about the Pinkas, the important source about the history of the Jewish community in The Hague. With a bridge to the present, to the daily activities in and around the synagogue.
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![page from photobook Drakeblood]( "page from photobook Drakeblood")
infoDragons are celebrated worldwide in various forms, such as stories, books, films and series. The most famous story in Europe is that of George and the Dragon, but how can this legend have a major impact on a small village community in Central Limburg, the Netherlands? Beesel is dragon territory! A dragon from the river Maas appears in this village once every seven years. The village then turns into an open-air spectacle, where 500 volunteers from the 2,500 inhabitants bring the story of George and the Dragon to life. When you are born in Beesel, ‘drake blood’ automatically flows through your veins. ‘Drakeblood’ is Limburg dialect for dragon’s blood.
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![Drakeblood / blood of the dragon - photobook]( "Drakeblood / blood of the dragon - photobook")
infoAuthor(s):Robin Butter Appeared on:December 16th. 2023 Language:Dutch and English Pages:188 Size:170 x 240 mm Edition:hardcover ISBN:9789462265035 Year:2023 Photography:Robin Butter Publisher:Lecturis Design:Syb
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![close up from installation exhibition Galerie Brandstof]( "close up from installation exhibition Galerie Brandstof")
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![Overview installation exhibition Galerie Brandstof]( "Overview installation exhibition Galerie Brandstof")
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![Close-up met archieffoto's Beesel en Sint Joris en de draak]( "Close-up met archieffoto's Beesel en Sint Joris en de draak")
infoClose up bewegende installatie, tijdens solo tentoonstelling ‘Drakebloed’ Atelier K84, afbeeldingen archiefmateriaal werd aangevuld, verschillende formaten en papier C-prints, 2022
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![Sihk tempel Den Haag]( "Sihk tempel Den Haag")
infoPhoto from assignment for The Hague Municipal Archives - Believing in Change 2021. Various places of worship in The Hague photographed for publication with bicycle route.
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![Mescidi Aksa mosque The Hague]( "Mescidi Aksa mosque The Hague")
infoPhoto from assignment for The Hague Municipal Archives - Believing in Change 2021. Various places of worship in The Hague photographed for publication with bicycle route.
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![Sagrado Coração de Jesus Elandstraat The Hague]( "Sagrado Coração de Jesus Elandstraat The Hague")
infoPhoto from assignment for The Hague Municipal Archives - Believing in Change 2021. Various places of worship in The Hague photographed for publication with bicycle route.
My name is Robin Butter, she/her visual artist from The Hague, Netherlands. As a child, it was my dream to become an archaeologist, inspired by the sense of adventure that digging in the earth evoked in me. However, my passion for storytelling has since blossomed! To which documentary photography becoming a tool for exploring history, mythology in social topics.
In my work, I strive to approach these subjects in a vibrant and engaging manner, working closely with autonomous communities. Creating a space by weaving together elements of a self-created history and the everyday life, I invite viewers to escape the ordinary and embark on a journey of discovery with me.
Graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague in 2014. Photographing shooting ranges in the Netherlands titled "It Takes My Mind Off Things". The work was self-published as a photobook in November 2015, with the launch at Paris Photo.
In december 2023 the photobook Drakeblood (blood of the dragon) was released by publisher Lecturis.
I worked from 2018-2023 closely with the village-community of Beesel & Stichting Draaksteken. It was a process to take the viewer through the almost elusive intertwining of different realities in Beesel. The village holds great symbolic significance for me, and in my book, I capture this village and its elusive myth.
I prefer to work analog in the darkroom, I experiment with analog printing techniques.
Websites
projects and visual CV
www.robinbutter.comDer Greif magazine: Artist blog + Contributor
dergreif.org/contributors/?name=Robin+ButterSocial media
Member of a professional association/artists’ association
DuPho/ Platform GKF
Curriculum vitae
Education
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2022 - 2023BDB 'Artist as a Teacher' didactics Hoge School der Kunsten
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2020 - 2021Artivism Leiden Universiteit
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2017 - 2020master-class alumni with Corinne Noordenbos Corinne Noordenbos
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2010 - 2014BA of Arts, Photography Den Haag, Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten diploma
exhibitions
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2024My Name in 100 Colophons; It takes my mind off things Fotohof Salzberg, Austria Overview of the exhibition where the dummy graduation work from 2014 and the published photobook from 2015 are compared through a rhythmic presentation, focusing on image choices and narrative of the same project 'It Takes My Mind Off Things'. fotohof.at/en/exhibitions/zu-gast-n5-my-name-in-100-colophons/ Group
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2024clear 62 / 5.000 Vertaalresultaten Vertaalresultaat Under Mother's Wings - Migration Stories of Turkish Women from The Hague Atrium City Hall The Hague, Netherlands With the exhibition Under Mother's Wings: Migration Stories of The Hague-Turkish Women, the Hague Municipal Archives gives Turkish mothers, daughters and grandchildren a voice. In collaboration with the Avrasya Foundation, 12 women were interviewed and portrayed by photographer Robin Butter. These (often) first generation women who came to the Netherlands tell their story, the story of migration to the Netherlands. Stories about the pain, the sorrow, but also about the good that this has brought them. atriumcityhall.nl/agenda/posterwand-haags-gemeentearchief-tentoonstelling-onder-moeders-vleugels-migratieverhalen-van-haags-turkse-vrouwen/ Solo
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2022Dragon blood Atelier K84 Amsterdam, Netherlands Atelier K84 is proud to be the first to show the solo exhibition 'Drakeblood' by The Hague-based documentary photographer Robin Butter. Robin uses photography as a means of digging into the backgrounds of cultural phenomena. In her search for the escape of her own reality from the everyday, she photographs people and their stories, exploring the meaning of history and myths. atelierk84.nl/ Solo
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2022Eye in eye with Laak Tramtunnel Gallery The Hague, Netherlands From the March 14th until June 4th 20223 , you can stop at Spui Gallery of the Tramtunnel, if you like. To meet 55 residents I photographed for the Haags Gemeentearchief, for the project Haags DNA / Laak. Within a few weeks I have tracked down residents from my old neighbourhood and met fantastic new ones. With the great help for tips like initiatives @samen_voor_laak, and Vrouwenbuurtlab. Or anyone who could help shine a light on people, who are not always in the spotlight they deserve. Thank you! Had great conversations, laughed, danced in storm & wind, sometimes the conversation got to sad turns, and talked about problems of the neighbourhood. All these faces represent, or show a strong connection within the district in their own special way www.robinbutter.com/news/2022/5/7/exhibition-oog-in-oog-laak-haags-dna-haags-gemeentearchief-tramtunnel-gallery Solo
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2022Dragon's blood Brandstof Galerie Leerdam, Netherlands 'Drakeblood' by The Hague-based documentary photographer Robin Butter. Robin uses photography as a means of digging into the backgrounds of cultural phenomena. In her search for the escape of her own reality from the everyday, she photographs people and their stories, exploring the meaning of history and myths. www.galeriebrandstof.nl/lege-pagina Solo
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2021It takes my mind off things Space Place One - Gallery of Modern Art Space Place Nizhny Tagil, Russian Federation Solo exhibition - 'It takes my mind off things' - Robin Butter 11.11.21 - 28.11.21 @ Space Place One - Gallery of Modern Art Space Place www.instagram.com/spaceplaceone/ Solo
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2019ELIA Academy 2019: What’s going on Here? Decoding Digitality in Higher Arts Education. Stuttgart Academy of Art & Design, entrance hall Stuttgart , Germany In addition to the main event in September and the online festival, we support emerging artists throughout the year. NEU NOW operates as a platform promoting artistic excellence and creating an (inter)national springboard for artists of the future. Select artists are invited to show their work and participate in residencies with our partners including Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Prix Europa Berlin and more. Selecting 1 artist of the previous editions from the past 10 years. Robin Butter is selected from the 2014 Neu Now group. www.elia-artschools.org/events/elia-academy Solo
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2018Fake | Truts Rotterdam Photo Festival 2018 Rotterdam, Netherlands Photography has long been perceived as one of the most truthful mediums but has always been questioned. Images have the power to change the perception of the masses and alter history. Where a photojournalist attempts to impact the crowd with a “truthful” image, the conceptual artist might do the same with manipulated imagery. With the use of many types of photography, Rotterdam Photo seeks the line between real and fabricated with the theme Fake | Truth. We explore how truthful an image actually can be and how fabricated and altered images might actually be a gateway to a new truth. www.rotterdamphotofestival.com/exhibitionprogram Group
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2018-SYB- Sybren Kuiper Fotobook Festival Kassel Kassel, Germany All photo fotobookfestival.org/portfolio-item/10fbf/ Group
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2018'Different ways of portraiture' Hoogtij #52 Sue_das lab The Hague, Netherlands Portraiture is an important subject in photography. All photographic portraits that we present at Sue_Das Lab are made in completely different ways. By putting them together, we get a better insight on what portraiture can do. work: 'After all I still want a Fox' Hoogtij #52 Sue_das lab Group
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2018Family of No Man Cosmos Arles Books Arles, France The Family of No Man is the culmination of an open call that has brought together 494 female and inter-gender artists from all around the world working in the medium of photography. The aim of this radical curatorial proposition is to revisit Edward Steichen’s original The Family of Man, a seminal photographic exhibition and publication from 1955, which in its time was described “as one of the most ambitious undertakings in an art museum”. work: 'Portraits of Power Boost'. thefamilyofnoman.com/infos.php Group
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2016'It takes my mind off things' Paris Photo Main sector H2 / Dirk K Boeken Paris, France Showcase + book signing photobook 'It takes my mind off things' www.parisphoto.com/en/2016-program/ Group
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2015'It takes my mind off things' Life Framer, Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles, US Los Angeles , United States Groupshow Life Framer photo exhibition www.life-framer.com Group
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2015'The Photobook as art object' Dehli Photo Festival, New Dehli, India New Dehli, India The photobook as art object, currated by Regina Anzenberger www.delhiphotofestival.com Group
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2014Neu/Noq Reid Gallery Glasgow, United Kingdom Neu/Now 2014 festival, Group show with graduates selected by Elia Art Schools to represent different Art Academies based in Europe of 2014. www.neunow.eu Group
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2014'A cup of Joe, historical coffee tents The Hague City Hall The Hague The Hague , Netherlands Solo exhibition in collaboration with The Hague Municipal Archive about the historic coffee tents in The Hague. Combination of archival images with not material manufactured by Robin Butter www.denhaag.nl/nl/bestuur-en-organisatie/gemeentelijke-organisatie/atrium-city-hall-geeft-ruimte-aan-ideeen.htm Solo
Projects
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2025
The Hague Bonfires Haags Historisch Museum The Hague, Netherlands The Hague Bonfires Collaboration with photographer Daniel Heikens and the Hague Historical Museum. 2-year project that has just started about the history, present and future of the 'kerstomen rausen' With focus on Duindorp and Scheveningen
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2024
No child's game Den Haag Leiden, Netherlands Dealing with it from a personal perspective i have discovered that with 1 in 6 women around the globe has to deal with this medical intervention. Yet, nobody has told the story, yet. Dealing with frustration there is no imagery available about this drastic procedure about hope, grief, love. Trying to understand the cultural and social contexts surrounding female fertility, i want to capture the essence of this complex subject matter. Navigating the nuances of fertility as a deeply personal and universally relevant aspect of the human experience, shedding personal light on the emotional, ethical, and scientific dimensions of fertility treatments like IVF for many women.
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2023
Drakeblood / blood of the dragon The Hague - Beesel , Netherlands www.robinbutter.com/drakeblood Dragons are celebrated worldwide in various forms, such as stories, books, films and series. The most famous story in Europe is that of George and the Dragon, but how can this legend have a major impact on a small village community in Central Limburg, the Netherlands? Beesel is dragon territory! A dragon from the river Maas appears in this village once every seven years. The village then turns into an open-air spectacle, where 500 volunteers from the 2,500 inhabitants bring the story of George and the Dragon to life. When you are born in Beesel, ‘drake blood’ automatically flows through your veins. ‘Drakeblood’ is Limburg dialect for dragon’s blood. The oldest known mention of the Beeselse dragon dates from 1736, where people sang about ‘dat liedeke van den giftighen draecke’ (song of the poisonous Dragon), which is passed on from generation to generation. In the region, this phenomenon is known as the Dragon Stabbing. It seems to be much older, but due to a gigantic fire in 1899, many archives about the village were lost and it remains only speculation. By entering into close collaboration with the village, Robin has succeeded in capturing this age-old phenomenon and bringing it together in this photo book. In Beesel, a history has been created around an event that never took place.
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2019
'It takes my mind off things' self-published The Hague, Netherlands www.robinbutter.com/it-takes-my-mind-off-things-photobook Publicatie in eigen beheer uit gegeven van 'It takes my mind off things' design by -SYB- edition: 400
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2015
Book-app Y-doc Amsterdam , Netherlands www.ydocfoundation.org photobook app only available for Apple
International exchanges/Residencies
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2014Neu/Now 2014 Glasgow, United Kingdom In addition to the main event in September and the online festival, we support emerging artists throughout the year. NEU NOW operates as a platform promoting artistic excellence and creating an (inter)national springboard for artists of the future. Select artists are invited to show their work and participate in residencies with our partners including Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Prix Europa Berlin and more. www.neunow.eu
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2013
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2013
Commissions
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202412 portraits Migration Stories of Turkish Women from The Hague for exhibition in City Hall Haags Gemeentearchief The Hague With the exhibition Under Mother's Wings: Migration Stories of The Hague-Turkish Women, the Hague Municipal Archives gives Turkish mothers, daughters and grandchildren a voice. In collaboration with the Avrasya Foundation, 12 women were interviewed and portrayed by photographer Robin Butter. These (often) first generation women who came to the Netherlands tell their story, the story of migration to the Netherlands. Stories about the pain, the sorrow, but also about the good that this has brought them. www.robinbutter.com/news/2024/8/9/portretten-voor-haags-gemeentearchief-amp-stichting-avrasya-te-zien-in-atrium-den-haag finished
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2021Religion in change Haags Gemeentearchief The Hague, Netherlands 20 portraits about 17 religious sites, which have changed markedly in recent decades. Churches have been completely demolished, others are now used by a different faith community than what the church was originally built for, and new places of worship have been built, such as the largest temple complex in the Netherlands that we find in Laak, and in many neighborhoods too. small or larger mosques. In short: the religious landscape changes with our lively and super diverse city! haagsgemeentearchief.nl/images/PDF_bestanden/Fietsboekje_Geloven_in_verandering_Haags_Gemeentearchief.pdf finished
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2017Artist blog Der Greif Ausburg, Germany Public Domain - Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography. dergreif-online.de/contributors/robin-butter/ finished
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2015''the importance of art in society' Stroom Den Haag The Hague , Netherlands Art assignment - C & C projects Stroom vs Maris College Belgian Park guest artist / teacher. Guiding school students in their art projects www.stroom.nl finished
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2013'A cup of Joe, historical coffee tents The Hague Haags Gemeente Archief The Hague Art assignment - Cooperation for material and exhibition about the Hague coffee tent www.denhaag.nl/nl/bestuur-en-organisatie/gemeentelijke-organisatie/atrium-city-hall-geeft-ruimte-aan-ideeen.htm finished
Sales/Works in collections
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2020'It takes my mind off tings' National Library of The Netherlands The Hague , Nederland Phtobook 'It takes my mind off things' is been added to the collection of the National Library of the Netherlands.
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2017'It takes my mind off things' Hellenic Centre for Photography Athenes, Griekenland museum collection
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2014'A cup of Joe, historical coffee tents The Hague The Hague Municipal Archives The Hague , Nederland collection Cityarchives The Hague
Publications
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2024The great Dutch art calendar 2025 Catalog Nai / Nai uitgevers Trichis Rotterdam, Netherlands grotekunstkalender.nl The Great Dutch Art Calendar offers a platform to renowned and upcoming talent. For artists, it is the way to present their work to a wide audience. The calendar shows the versatile range of art in the Netherlands in an original way. The selection is made each year by a changing team of art experts and guarantees the quality and diversity of the artworks in the calendar. The GNKKs have been a great success for years. These works are bundled in a hefty, almost 3 kilo full-colour tear-off calendar.
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2023Drakeblood / blood of the dragon Book Lecturis Publishers Robin Butter The Hague, Netherlands lecturis.nl/product/drakeblood/ Dragons are celebrated worldwide in various forms, such as stories, books, films and series. The most famous story in Europe is that of George and the Dragon, but how can this legend have a major impact on a small village community in Central Limburg, the Netherlands? Beesel is dragon territory! A dragon from the river Maas appears in this village once every seven years. The village then turns into an open-air spectacle, where 500 volunteers from the 2,500 inhabitants bring the story of George and the Dragon to life. When you are born in Beesel, ‘drake blood’ automatically flows through your veins. ‘Drakeblood’ is Limburg dialect for dragon’s blood. The oldest known mention of the Beeselse dragon dates from 1736, where people sang about ‘dat liedeke van den giftighen draecke’ (song of the poisonous Dragon), which is passed on from generation to generation. In the region, this phenomenon is known as the Dragon Stabbing. It seems to be much older, but due to a gigantic fire in 1899, many archives about the village were lost and it remains only speculation. By entering into close collaboration with the village, Robin has succeeded in capturing this age-old phenomenon and bringing it together in this photo book. In Beesel, a history has been created around an event that never took place.
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2023
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2019Trendbook A/W 19/20 Messe Frankfurt Texworld Paris Paris , France texworld-paris.fr.messefrankfurt.com/paris/en.html From the series 'Ocean Hope' - work in progress 2019 - a picture has been chosen to inspire their trend book for autumn / winter for 2019-2020
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2019'Shooting holes in zombies' NRC Media Diederik Huffels Amsterdam , Netherlands nrc.nl Two photographs from the series ‘It takes my mind off things’, 2015 made it to page 6/7 in NRC weekend edition ‘Leven’. About the difference between the gun culture in the US and here in the Netherlands. Text by Diederik Huffels, adventure in Las Vegas shooting with a Tommy gun at nazi zombie’s and Koos Dijksterhuis critical response.
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2017
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2016Le livre de la semaine Les Branchouilles, Paris Pierre Bressard Paris, France lesbranchouilles.com/photographie/wpa-de-robin-butter-le-livre-de-la-semaine/ artikel
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2016Editorial It takes my mind off things Yet-Magazine artikel
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2016Der Greif magazine Ausburg, Duitsland magazine
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2015It takes My Mind Off Things expanded edition self-published kunstenaarsboek
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2015Life Framer, Tink Thank Gallery exhibition Life Framer, London catalogus groeps expositie
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2014ELIA Neu Now festival live 2014 Glasgow Elia, Amsterdam catalogus groeps expositie
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2014It Takes My Mind Off Things self-published kunstenaarsboek
reviews
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2022Photographer Robin (35) immerses herself in Laak: 'The neighborhood is in your DNA, it never goes away' Newspaper AD - Haagsch Courant The Hague, Netherlands www.ad.nl/den-haag/fotografe-robin-35-dompelt-zich-onder-in-laak-de-buurt-zit-in-je-dna-dat-gaat-nooit-weg~a2bf5859/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F The @ad_denhaag today published an interview about the series 'Eye in Eye Laak' as part of the Hague DNA project, which has been on display in the Tramtunnel Gallery for several weeks. Thank you @christy92 for the conversation and the extra light on the beautiful people I got to photograph. Strengthen their (background) story more than the project. That was and is the soul purpose of it all. Photographer AD clearly had a different image of the District than I did. I am against visualizing communities, especially Muslim women in the media in this way.
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2021n.v.t. Newspaper NRC - Sarah Ouwerkerk Amsterdam, Netherlands www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2021/06/08/een-dorpje-in-de-ban-van-een-draak-a4046494 publication in national newspaper NRC 9 juni 2021 text written by Sarah Ouwerkerk. In the NRC newspaper I am taking you on an adventure today, June 9th 2021. With the 'Drakeblood' story. Which I've been working on for about 2 years now, together with Beesel and the Draaksteken Foundation. Very exciting, to be published while still working on it, but even more exciting because I also have to build up a bit of responsibility for 2500 people of the village of Beesel.
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2021Interview local broadcaster television 'Summernight of.. TV Omroep P&M Venray , Netherlands www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EoaYb0kO2E Local broadcaster with its own version of Dutch hit program NPO- summer guests. Entitled 'The summer evening of.." Interviewed for 24 minutes for the broadcaster about the Drakeblood project
Awards and grants
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2024Nominee Joop Swart Masterclass World Press Photo, NL Amsterdam, Netherlands nominees for the 2024 Joop Swart Masterclass, selected by an international panel of nominators.
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2023Funding for publication of photobook Drakeblood Het Cultuurfonds Amsterdam, Netherlands The Cultuurfonds has provided a contribution of [X] to facilitate the publication of the photobook Drakeblood / blood of the dragon by Publisher Lecturis in December 2023.
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2019Shortlist Paris , France International Women Photographs Award 2019
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2015Honored Stroom PRO Kunstprojecten The Hague, Netherlands
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2015Honored Fonds kwadraat Amsterdam
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2014Gehonoreerd Ydoc foundation, Amsterdam Amsterdam Ydoc PhotobookApp prize, winnaar
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2014Unseen dummy award, shortlisted Unseen, Amsterdam Amsterdam , Netherlands
Secondary art-related activities
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2024 - --Teacher of analogue photography & darkroom at Buurhuis de Volharding On-going
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2020 - --Photography Teacher, for the 'Kunstplan' Royal Academy of Arts, Preparatory Course On-going
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2019 - --Guest teacher photography Preparatory Courses, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague On-going
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2019 - 2020Guest teacher architecture photography workshop for the Monumenten Zorg The Hague
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2019 - 2020Post '65 teacher architecture photography, commissioned by
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2018 - 2018Technical assistant Michael Wolf for the exhibition at the Fotomuseum The Hague
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2018 - --Museum educator The Hague Municipal Archives in collaboration with Historisch Informatiepunt
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2018 - --Photography technician, Photography workshop, Royal Academy of Art The Hague
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2018 - 2018Guest artist for FCA Group, BTS project Case Study, teaching workshop ‘creative process (conceptualization and realization) of an image’.
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2018 - 2018technical assistent Michael Wolf - exhibition The Real Toy Story Fotomuseum The Hague
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2015 - 2015C&C Projecten, STROOM Den Haag vs MAris College Belgisch Park