Rob Hornstra

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Rob Hornstra - self portrait in Pitsunda, Abkhazia Rob Hornstra

Rob Hornstra (1975) is a documentary photographer. Since he graduated he has worked predominantly on long-term projects, both at home and on the other side of the world. His work is characterised by a stylised rawness, with a large dose of intrinsic engagement. He has published three books on his own which, despite increasing print runs, sell out ever faster. He has been commissioned by international newspapers and magazines to produce documentary series. He has also taken part in numerous (solo) exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad. In addition to his own work as a documentary maker, he is the founder and artistic director of FOTODOK – Space for Documentary Photography.

In 2014, the Olympic Games will take place in Sochi, Russia. Never before have the Olympic Games been held in a region that contrasts more strongly with the glamour of the Games than Sochi. Just 20 kilometres away is the conflict zone Abkhazia. To the east the Caucasus Mountains stretch into obscure and impoverished breakaway republics such as Cherkessia, North Ossetia and Chechnya. On the coast old Soviet sanatoria stand shoulder to shoulder with the most expensive hotels and clubs of the Russian Riviera.

Between now and 2014 the area around Sochi will change beyond recognition. The extreme makeover is already underway; refugee flats and poverty-stricken resorts are disappearing at high speed from the partly fashionable, partly impoverished seaside resort of Sochi. Thousands of labourers from across Russia and abroad live in prefab accommodation in order to have the stadiums, hotels and modern infrastructure finished on time. Helicopters fly backwards and forwards with building materials. The economic crisis is glossed over as much as possible.

Photographer Rob Hornstra and writer/filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen plan to document the changes in the area around Sochi over the coming five years. The Sochi Project will be a dynamic mix of documentary photography, film and reportage about a world in flux; a world full of different realities within a small but extraordinary geographic area.

The Sochi Project is a unique, in-depth and as such a costly project. Dutch newspapers and magazines are unable to undertake or afford a project of this scale. We think it is important that independent, documentary journalism continues to exist. That’s why we are doing it ourselves. You can make your own contribution, by becoming a donor of The Sochi Project.

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Contact information

  • Rob Hornstra
  • postbus 1011
  • 3500BA
  • Utrecht
  • NL