SHAME AND PRIDE

2023 / Solo exhibition / Part of: TRANSITIONS Festival Maastricht

'Seven years ago I graduated from the art academy in Maastricht. Since then I have directed, among other things, a comic documentary about a call center employee in a midlife crisis, an awkward blind date in a hotel room and an absurd musical church service.

As an artist, I think shame is a wonderful emotion. Yet I regularly feel the pressure to justify my projects to the best of my ability. Especially with sensitive topics such as mental health, sexuality and religion, a cautious approach is almost a requirement. But herein also lies a risk. It is more exciting and honest, in my experience, to fully admit the discomfort. By listening to my own perverse curiosity, each project is also a confrontation with myself. I cannot hide behind the camera but become part of the emotional chaos myself.

Although my films find favor with enthusiasts, I am regularly faced with understandable criticism: Is it ethically justifiable for me, as a conflict-seeking amateur psychologist, to film people in such a vulnerable position? This is a complex question to which I have no clear answer. Within this context, I present (with a strong sense of shame and pride) my unfiltered work of the past seven years.'