The Art of Protest
(work in progress)2025-2026
The Art of Protest is a documentary photography project in which I explore how people in the Netherlands exercise their right to protest today. I photograph demonstrations in public spaces, documenting the forms, strategies and rituals that repeatedly emerge. The Netherlands has a strong tradition of public protest, in which demonstrators, authorities and the press continuously negotiate the boundaries of what is permitted in public space.
My focus is not on the causes or issues behind the protests, but on the practice of protest itself: the locations chosen, the ways in which protests make themselves seen and heard, and the roles played by demonstrators, police and the press. By bringing these elements together, the project creates a layered portrait of protest as a social phenomenon.
The Art of Protest moves between observation and reflection. The project invites viewers to look beyond individual incidents and consider the meaning and effectiveness of protest within a democratic rule of law.
This project is made possible with the support of the Dutch Fund for Special Journalistic Projects (Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten).