Photography - Mandy en Eva

by Willeke Duijvekam

13 sep 2013
13 okt 2013

With this exhibition photographer Willeke Duijvekam gives you a glimpse into the world of two gender dysphoric teenagers. Mandy and Eva are girls but were born as boys. For six years Duijvekam followed them, fascinated by the elusive division between body and mind and her growing admiration for the courage these girls have not following society's expectations.

Vergroot

Camera Lens - Picture found on Flickr, made by Elliot Bennett.

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The photo's lack any kind of show. No dressing up with dresses and lipstick, no operations. The photo's were taken at moments the girls forgot about Duijvekam being there. When Mandy is chatting with a friend on her bed, hidden behind a haze of girl hair. Or when Eva is talking to a class mate in the corner of the schoolyard. Duijvekam does not stage the setting. She looks and waits until she found the image that tells the situation the clearest. 'Mandy en Eva' is more of a portrait of an inner process than appearances.

Willeke Duijvekam (1968) is a documentary photographer and graduated from the Photo Academy in Amsterdam. Since her graduation she works commissioned but she also has her own documentary projects. A recurring theme in her work is making contradictions visible. Youngsters play an important role in this. Her work gets published in big (international) newspapers, magazines and news magazines. She won the PANL awards several times, The Photo Academy Award, a World Press Photo award (in the category Portrait) and she got nominated for the Portrait Price of the Zilveren Camera.

Opening of the exhibition is on September 12th.