In the retrospective exhibition Ordinary People, Fotomuseum Den Haag offers a fresh look at the work of Dutch photographer Rob Hornstra (1975). Over the last twenty years, Hornstra has created a human portrait of his own time by photographing people in their everyday situations, with a focus on Russia and Europe. Everywhere he goes, he looks for everyday scenes, such as a butcher at his block, an official at his desk or children on the street. Ordinary People highlights the categories that underpin Hornstra’s series, an approach that has faded into the background in his previous publications and exhibitions. This exhibition explores his working method and shows how he, consciously or unconsciously, forges connections between people that extend far beyond national borders.

My first retrospective exhibition Ordinary People opens on 8 December 2023 at 6 pm. And you are welcome! Click on the link below to view the invitation and register for the opening.

Announcement of exhibition Ordinary People in Belgium daily newspaper De Standaard.

This is the fourth and last consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder, now Kunsthal45. The texts in the exhibition have been translated into Dutch. The bilingual English-Basque publication is also being sold along within the exhibition.

‘Our Ancestral Home’ is the story of a stunningly beautiful region of Europe where the locals cherish their traditions, speak a mysterious language and pass down the picturesque houses and farms from generation to generation. That’s how it has always been. But tourists and wealthy urbanites have now discovered the region, and the original inhabitants are succumbing to the lure of the exorbitant amounts that outsiders are willing to pay for a rural retreat. “We have sold our country,” activists lament. But who can resist the laws of capitalism?

The exhibition is on display until Dec. 17.

This is the third consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder, now Kunsthal45. The texts in the exhibition have been translated into Dutch. The bilingual English-Basque publication is also being sold along within the exhibition.

‘Our Ancestral Home’ is the story of a stunningly beautiful region of Europe where the locals cherish their traditions, speak a mysterious language and pass down the picturesque houses and farms from generation to generation. That’s how it has always been. But tourists and wealthy urbanites have now discovered the region, and the original inhabitants are succumbing to the lure of the exorbitant amounts that outsiders are willing to pay for a rural retreat. “We have sold our country,” activists lament. But who can resist the laws of capitalism?

The exhibition is on display until Aug. 6. Then we will convert to our fourth chapter, The Black Country, which opens October 22, 2023.

This is the second consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder. On this occasion we are showing work that has its origins in this city: De Marinebasis / The Naval Base.

In 2021 we stayed for three months in Het Pompgemaal, a beautiful artist-in-residence in the dunes on the outskirts of Den Helder hosted by the Mondriaan Foundation. To conclude our working period, we presented this same work there in October 2021. When Peter Kramer of Housing Corporation Den Helder saw our work, he thought it would be a good idea to present it again, but this time in the heart of Den Helder: De Kroonpassage. The exhibition is on display until Aug. 6. Then we will convert to our third chapter, Our Ancestral Home, which opens Aug. 20.

On Sunday, July 9, at 3 p.m., my colleague Arnold van Bruggen will talk about the motivation and methods of The Europeans.

Together with writer Arnold van Bruggen and designers Kummer & Herrman we converted parts of a former H&M store in Den Helder into an exhibition space as part of our project The Europeans.⁠ Prior to our first exhibition (we plan to do four in a row), we removed some wobbly walls blocking off windows and doors and converted the clothing displays into exhibition walls. In the storefront windows of the former H&M, we have a permanent advertisement of the different exhibitions, with some framed pictures changing every other time.⁠
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Our first exhibition The Former Capital is on view from April 21 until June 11. Subsequently, The Naval Base opens on 25 June, followed by Our Ancestral Home from 20 August and concluding with The Black Country from 22 October until the end of the year. Please come and visit the former H&M fashion store in Kroonpassage Den Helder.

At the invitation of Helder Vastgoed and in collaboration with our designers Kummer & Herrman, we are currently preparing to exhibit four consecutive chapters of The Europeans in a former H&M clothing shop in de Kroonpassage in Den Helder. The first exhibition will be The Former Capital and launch on 21 April 2023. As a teaser towards the start of this series of exhibitions, we have decorated 20 metres of shop windows.

This presentation in Den Helder fits seamlessly with The Europeans’ ambition to present work in both art institutions and alternative venues to engage with a broad audience. To further expand our project, we are looking for a producer/fundraiser who can join us in taking The Europeans to the next level. If you think you are that person, please send a message. Proficiency in the Dutch language is a must. In a month’s time, Arnold and I will leave for The Black Country to finish our next chapter. If you value our project, please consider making a donation by adopting this region.

The Europeans 2020 - 2030 is a project by writer and filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen and me to document Europe in an era of drastic change. Click below for more information.

Since the launch of the first chapter within The Europeans in 2020, we have been recreating our regional exhibitions online in 2D or 3D on the free access platform artsteps.com. Although initially born out of necessity - that initial exhibition remained closed due to corona - we valued the fact that in this way local exhibitions can be visited by everyone. Anywhere in the world and open 24 hours a day. The platform is quite limited in possibilities, and our designers Kummer & Herrman use all their creative tricks to make it look as genuine as possible. That was also the case with our latest exhibition at Station V, a gallery situated in a former petrol station on a busy roundabout in Bayonne. Due to all the commotion that surrounded the opening, we completely ignored to highlight the online version at the time. But here it is. We aim to run our own online The Europeans museum by 2030, with twenty different rooms in which former region presentations can be visited.

Our Ancestral Home / Notre Maison Ancestrale is from July 13, until August 20, 2022 on display at Station V, a former petrol station located on a very noisy roundabout in Bayonne in the French Basque country. Especially the free newspaper Money Always Wins, which is presented on an outside wall yet also free to take home, catches the eye of random passers-by. We received a lot of feedback on our stories from locals regarding the most divergent topics, something that we deliberately look for in order to incorporate into the future of this project.

I am super excited that my exhibition Man Next Door, shown last year in the former house of my neighbour Kid, won the Prize voor Storytelling at the national Zilveren Camera Awards. Almost a year ago I temporarily rented the former house of my deceased neighbor Kid before imminent demolition. After weeks of cleaning, organizing and installing, the exhibition opened in June 2021. Photos were alternated with texts and film clips, Kids’ voice was echoing one more time in the corridors and an occasional photo wallpaper took you fifteen years back in time. A small backyard shed - emptied multiple times by police - was temporarily transformed into a cinema. The exhibition welcomed over a thousand people, ranging from family and friends to an international audience. All nominated and winning projects can be seen until April 3, 2022 in Museum Hilversum.

After the presentation of The Naval Base in het Pompgemaal Den Helder, part of the works will travel immediately to the Dutch National Portrait Gallery on the Marineterrein in Amsterdam. More information on the website of the Dutch National Portrait Gallery.

The online VR version of our first regional presentation The Former Capital was a massive success and has been viewed more than 25,000 times. So we have decided to recreate The Naval Base exhibition on location in its entirety again on Artsteps. Including easter egg. Although we understand that Real Life and Virtual Reality are different experiences, we try to make it possible for people who are not able to come to het Pompgemaal to experience the work. Use 3D goggles for an even more real experience. Follow the link below and please share and like and such…

Announcement of our exhibition The Naval Base in Het Pompgemaal: “There is something strange about the photograph Rob Hornstra made of the street row of shops on Marsdiepstraat. Who wants to know what exactly, should go and have a look in the former Pompgemaal in Huisduinen”.

In Het Pompgemaal in Den Helder, a Mondriaan Fund artist residency, the exhibition ‘The Naval Base’ will take place from 27 to 31 October 2021. For two months, photographer Rob Hornstra and writer Arnold van Bruggen roamed through the naval base and made a portrait of the town. They portrayed hundreds of inhabitants of the town, from fishermen to chairmen of associations and from sea cadets to naval officers. Together they and many others form the social network of the naval base. For five days, a selection of their work will be exhibited in Het Pompgemaal and the 112-page publication The Naval Base / De Marinebasis will be presented.

The photographs and stories that Hornstra and Van Bruggen made in Den Helder will be part of the project The Europeans. Between 2020 and 2030 they will document Europeans in countless regions and mid-sized towns at a time when Europe is under pressure. The ambition of The Europeans is in line with illustrious predecessors from the last century: an engaging historical document in the tradition of Robert Frank’s The Americans or Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Les Européens.

Visual material for promotion can be requested from studio@robhornstra.com

Titel: De Marinebasis / The Naval Base
When: 27 t/m 31 oktober van 10:00 – 18:00 uur
Opening: Wednesday 27 oktober om 17:00 uur
Location: Het Pompgemaal, Duinweg 50 in Huisduinen
Online: More information www.theeuropeans.fm

A nice article today in Trouw newspaper by art historian Joke de Wolf in which she links the exhibition Man Next Door to current affairs, in this case the demolition of the Rotterdam Tweebosbuurt.

With only four exhibition days left, a full-page article / interview in the local newspaper AD Utrechts Nieuwsblad. Meanwhile, over 250 people have registered for the coming days. There are few places left on Thursday between 2:30 and 4:30 pm. On Saturday, there are few places available after 5 pm. Sunday still offers the most flexibility. If you want to make a reservation, please send an e-mail to tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com with your preferred day and time.

Local internet newspaper DUIC features the exhibition Man Next Door.

On National Radio 1 in conversation with Patrick Lodiers (in Dutch). Please watch/listen the interview via the the link to their website. All time slots for this weekend are gone. You’re welcome to try at the door. Next week Thursday 24 June - Sunday 27 June is last opportunity before demolition. Please send a message via DM or tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com.

Tonight on Radio M Utrecht in conversation with Jeroen Latijnhouwers (in Dutch). You can listen to the interview via the article on their website. There are a few open slots remaining for tomorrow (Thursday), at 15:30, 17:00 and 18:30. Please send a message via DM or tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com.

Local TV station Ondiep made a beautiful item on Man Next Door (in Dutch), the exhibition in the former house of my deceased neighbour Kid. They also included the neighbouring studio sell-out in their coverage. If you would like to book a time slot for the exhibition, please send an email to tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com.

A big thank you to journalist Linda van Mil, photographer Pauline Niks and newspaper De Volkskrant for the beautiful article they published about my entirely DIY exhibition Man Next Door in the former house of my deceased neighbour Kid. The article is written in Dutch. If you want to book a time slot for the exhibition, please email tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com.

A house in the Utrecht working-class district Ondiep is transformed from a former drug users’ home into a temporary Gesamtkunstwerk. Photographer Rob Hornstra is organising the exhibition Man Next Door in the former home of his deceased neighbour Kid. After the exhibition, the house is cleared for demolition to make room for new buildings.

The exhibition Man Next Door at Laan van Chartroise 46 in Utrecht is open from Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 27 from 12:00 - 20:00 except on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Registration is required via tentoonstelling@robhornstra.com

For more information, please download Press Release.

Currently I am working on one of the most exciting exhibitions I have created in my career. After my neighbour Kid - protagonist in Man Next Door - died in 2013, his house was rented by students for several years. The students have left. Soon our housing block will be demolished (I still use the house I used to live in as my studio).

On 11 June the exhibition Man Next Door will open in the house where the work was created. A one time opportunity to transform a former drug house into a gesamtkunstwerk prior to demolition. I am looking for volunteers to be a host / attendant for one day during the exhibition in the periode 11 June - 27 June 2021. In addition to eternal gratitude, you will receive a book Man Next Door as a gift. Please send me an email by clicking on this link.

In the second half of 2021, the house of my former neighbour Kid will be finally demolished. Kid is the protagonist in Man Next Door. I portrayed Kid in his house for years until an abrupt ending in 2013, when his body was found floating between two boats in the Utrecht Singel. In 2017, book and exhibition Man Next Door were launched in the presence of Kid’s relatives and others interested at Centraal Museum in Utrecht. Now - years later - Man Next Door returns to the place where the work originated: Kid’s former house in Ondiep, Utrecht. The exhibition will take place from 4 to 20 June 2021.

Would you like to be kept updated, receive an invitation or press release or sign up as a volunteer (still needed!) for this exhibition? Please send me a message by clicking here.

From 17 to 20 September 2020, Forum on European Culture will take place for the third time in De Balie Amsterdam. Forum on European Culture is a biennial forum on the strength, impact and value of art and culture for Europe. Work from our first chapter The Former Capital will be shown on the ground floor of De Balie. In addition, as part of this event, posters and stories of The Europeans will be displayed at various cultural institutions such as Stadsschouwburg, European Cultural Foundation and Athenaeum Boekhandel.

One month ago our first region exhibition The Former Capital was postponed due to Corona. We immediately recreated the exhibition in the virtual world using the digital exhibition platform Artsteps. So far, 14K people visited our online exhibition space. Then suddenly the positive news arrived that the ‘real’ exhibition was allowed to start. And so the exhibition was reconstructed from the virtual world into the real world. The exhibition in Kaunas Gallery will last until 14 June 2020. The one at Artsteps infinite (to visit via our website www.theeuropeans.fm).

If you have VR goggles or Google Cardboard at home, you can visit our exhibition The Former Capital in VR. How does it work? Very simple. Download the free app Artsteps on your phone and open the app. Click on ‘guest’ and scroll to the right. After a few exhibitions you will see The Former Capital by The Europeans. You can choose whether you just want to watch in 2D or watch in VR, so that you really feel like you’re in space. Have fun!

Exhibition review in Dutch daily newspaper NRC: “Hornstra documented their close relationship and decided not to create a sentimental monument after Kid’s death. His life was not adequate for this due to its enormous sadness. Instead he gave him a great, dignified salute. In the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, this salute - Man Next Door - can now be seen in all its objective sensitivity.”

Last week for The Sochi Project exhibition The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova and the North Caucasus in Rijksmuseum Twenthe. The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova paints a grim yet compelling picture of the North Caucasus. In 2007, Khava’s husband Mukhazhir disappeared, like so many men in the North Caucasus disappear – kidnapped, arrested or simply executed and buried in anonymous graves. In this exhibition, broadsheet newsprint photos are interspersed with framed photos, videos, wall texts and an award-winning publication.

Group photo in front of the giant snake wallpaper of (part of) friends and family who were present last Friday at the official opening and book launch of ‘Man Next Door’; a story about a typical Utrecht working class man. All of them received a free copy of the Family and Friends Edition, made possible by sixty people who pre-bought this edition last summer for a double price (paying for two copies). Thanks to all family and friends, thanks to all pre-buyers and thanks to the Centraal Museum for making this happen!

Interview together with Kids sister Miep and his brother Reinier in the light of tomorrow’s book launch and exhibition opening Man Next Door at Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

Our exhibition The Sochi Project: Empty land, Promised land, Forbidden land about Abkhazia is on display until December 2, 2017 at Foto-Forum in Bolzano.

Article written by Erik Vroons in collaboration with Simon Bainbridge for The British Journal of Photography about new book and exhibition Man Next Door.

Opening of the exhibition The Sochi Project: Empty land, Promised land, Forbidden land at foto-forum Bozen, Italy will take place on Tuesday October 24, 2017 at 7 pm. The opening will be followed by a talk about The Sochi Project at 8 pm.

Currently the exhibition The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova and the North Caucasus is on display at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe as part of the Fotomanifestatie Enschede until 7 January 2018. In 2007, Khava’s husband Mukhazhir disappeared, like so many men in the North Caucasus disappear – kidnapped, arrested or simply executed and buried in anonymous graves. The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova paints a grim yet compelling picture of the North Caucasus. Last week local newspaper Tubantia published an interview in connection with this exhibition.

Until 7 January 2018, my work will be on display at the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede. This presentation is part of the Fotomanifestatie Enschede 2017 with exhibitions on various locations by Henk Wildschut, Bob Siers and Martin Roemers amongst others.

For over ten years I have been working on Man Next Door, a new project that examines the stigmatisation of the working class while offering a rare insight into the life of a working-class Utrecht boy. I am very happy to announce that Man Next Door will be exhibited from December 2, 2017 until March 25, 3018 at the best conceivable place for this work: the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. Opening plus book launch will take place on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 3 pm. A pre-launch of the book might be organized during Paris Photo (if planning allows).

During the second half of this year two exhibitions are coming up showcasing work from The Sochi Project. From September 24, 2017 until January 7, 2018, the chapter about the North Caucasus The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova will be on display in Rijksmuseum Twenthe. Please follow the link below for more information on this exhibition. From October 24 until December 2, 2017, the chapter about Abkhazia Empty land, Promised land, Forbidden land will be shown at FotoForum Bozen. Details about this exhibition will follow later.

‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ will be on display at Галерэя ЦЭХа as part of the Month of Photography in Minsk. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the North Caucasus and Sochi, two out of three explored regions within The Sochi Project. The exhibition is generously supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Visiting address and opening times: вул. Кастрычніцкая, 12:00 – 22:00.

I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that Belarus has decided to grant me a visa to attend the opening week of the Month of Photography in Minsk (MPM). The Sochi Project exhibition opening will take place on Tuesday September 6, 2016 at 7 pm at “CECH” Art Gallery. My Do-It-Yourself workshop for young Belarusian photographers will take place on 7 and 8 September. More information about both events can be found on the website of MPM.

The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus continues traveling: Early september the exhibition will be part of the Month of Photography in Minsk. In collaboration with initiator Andrei Liankevich and together with my intern Folkert Koelewijn I am currently finetuning the design for CECH Art Space in Minsk. Will keep you updated!

All publications produced within The Sochi Project will be on display at SELF PUBLISH RIGA during the Riga Photomonth 2016.

An excerpt from The Sochi Project will be exhibited at EFTI in Madrid from March 4 - April 10, 2016. This exhibition offers a glimpse of Abkhazia, one of the three explored regions within The Sochi Project.

Address EFTI: C/Fuenterrabia 4, 6 Y 13. Madrid (Spain)

Common Sense(s), features a compilation of photozines and related ephemera by over 50 artists. Curated by CPW’s Juan Madrid and artist Carlos Loret de Mola, the exhibition examines what constitutes a “zine” in contemporary photographic practice.

A large exhibition of all three regions including travel journal of The Sochi Project - organized by Kaunas Photo - will be on display at the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery (M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum) in Kaunas, Lithuania. Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, director of KAUNAS PHOTO festival emphasizes that “The Sochi Project’s” is an unmatched success in the world of today’s art photography and independent book publishing. The exhibition will finish with a guided tour by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas. on February 21, 2016.

​’The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ will be on display at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts as part of Delhi Photo Festival.

​Ballet Russes presented by Robert Morat Gallery at Photo London, Somerset House.

Our exhibition ‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ is extended until 30 April 2015. Please watch video for an impression and click the link below for address info and opening hours.

​Please join us for a lecture on Wednesday, a round table conversation on Thursday, a workshop on Friday and Saturday and a small exhibition at CFD Barcelona.

Exhibition ‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ on display at the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw. Opening on December 6, 6 pm.

​Our traveling exhibition ‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ is now on display at the Former Spanish Ambassador’s Residence 2801 16th St NW Washington, DC, 20009 United States as part of FotoDC.

Exhibition ‘Ballet Russes’ at Robert Morat Galerie in Hamburg (Germany). I will join the opening on September 12.​

​’The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ is part of the exhibition ‘On the Move: Storytelling in Contemporary Photography and Graphic Design.’ It is the latest edition of the Proposals for Municipal Art Acquisitions that the museum organizes every two years. Opening on 28 August 2014 from 7.30 - 10.00 pm

The exhibition ‘An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ will be on display at Vecchio Ospedale (via Maffei 16) Cortona from July 17 until September 28 as part of Cortona on the Move Festival. Together with Arnold I will be doing a talk on Sunday July 20 at 11 am at the Teatro Signorelli.​

The exhibition ‘An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ will be on display at the magnificent City Assembly House in Dublin from July 5 until July 27 as part of PhotoIreland. Opening on July 4 at 7 pm.

​Exhibition focussing on portraits of women at work in Flatland Gallery Amsterdam. Never shown before: ‘Ballets Russes’, a series about young girls with big dreams. Opening Saturday May 17, 5-7 pm. Address: Lijnbaansgracht 312 - 314, Amsterdam.

Exhibition ‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ on display at CONTACT Gallery Toronto, 80 Spadina Ave Ste 310. Opening and introduction on Saturday May 3, 2-5 pm.​

Exhibition ‘The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ now at Noorderlicht Fotogalerie in Groningen (NL).

Overview exhibition ‘An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus’ at Fotohof Salzburg. Opening Thursday January 30, 2014 at 7 pm.​

​In connection with the exhibition opening at De Paul Art University an interview by Paul Biasco at DNA Info Chicago.

Join us for the Opening Reception / Lecture / Book Signing of “The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus at DePaul Art Museum, 935 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL 60614. Friday January 17, 18.00 - 20.30 pm.

Exhibition review by Merel Bem in Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant.

An overview exhibition of my work in Russia 2003 – 2013 will be for the first time on display at Huis Marseille Amsterdam.

Interview / review about The Sochi Project and the overview exhibition in FoMu Antwerp.

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​The Sochi Project: An Atlas of War and Tourism in the Caucasus at FoMu Antwerp (Belgium). Opening Thursday October 24, 2013 at 20 PM.

​Online slideshow of the cancelled exhibition at Winzavod Moscow now at Lenta.ru

We cordially invite you to an alternative opening of The Sochi Project’s cancelled exhibition in Moscow. This alternative opening will take place simultaneously in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (Pleinfoyer) and the Sakharov Centre in Moscow on Friday, 18 October at 5pm (7pm in Moscow). 

Together with our Russian partners, we want to use these parallel events to make a statement against the cancelled exhibition and the denial of our visas, and for the dissemination of our alternative story about the Olympic Games in Russia. We sincerely hope that you can join us: the more people, the more powerful our alternative story, in the Netherlands, Russia and beyond. 

Please download PDF for more information.

We cordially invite you to an alternative opening of The Sochi Project’s cancelled exhibition in Moscow. This alternative opening will take place simultaneously in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (Pleinfoyer) and the Sakharov Centre in Moscow on Friday, 18 October at 5pm (7pm in Moscow).

Together with our Russian partners, we want to use these parallel events to make a statement against the cancelled exhibition and the denial of our visas, and for the dissemination of our alternative story about the Olympic Games in Russia. We sincerely hope that you can join us: the more people, the more powerful our alternative story, in the Netherlands, Russia and beyond.

Please download PDF for more information.

Izvestia writes about the alternative exhibition at Sakharov center, including installation shots.

Interview about refused exhibition, shadow opening , visa problems and more at Snob.ru

Article about visa refusal and cancelled exhibition in Swedish daily Helsingborgs Dagblad.

Extensive interview about The Sochi Project, visa problems and the upcoming exhibitions in Winzavod and FoMu.

New work from The Sochi Project will be shown at the Flatland Gallery, booth 19 at Unseen Photography Fair Amsterdam (Westergasfabriek). All available books and more will be available at The Sochi Project’s table at Unseen Book Market.