Introducing BEYOND BOUNDARIES - a groundbreaking photography project that celebrates the diversity of gay fetish and explores the many facets of this often misunderstood and marginalized community.

Endless rows of books, from old classics to unknown travel guides. All can be found at the KB National Library, which preserves these books just like newspapers and magazines. This is how they archive them for the generations of the future. Our website and the book ESTRANGED are also now archived there. So we visited to see what makes the KB so unique.

ROSA SPIER HUIS in Laren will open the exhibition ESTRANGED with the work of photographer Arjan Spannenburg on 5 February. This exhibition will show a series of images from the project ESTRANGED. He will also show a selection of works from his other series.

Mik Augusteijn gathered a number of Almere artists for the first exhibition of 2023 at the Cultuurdome in Almere. With his selection of artists, Mik wants to strengthen Almere's culture and enhance the artists' creative energy.

"So how do you see the future of photography?" I was asked in a post on facebook. Especially since AI (artifical intelligence) suddenly became hugely prevalent in photography last week. I do have some thoughts on that, so below is a brief rundown of my expectation by field within photography.

''I have nothing against gays, as long as I don't see it''. A comment Arjan Spannenburg, soldier and artist, was told by a colleague when he showed his photography to him. A comment that actually insinuates that he had better get back in the closet. It was precisely these kinds of "innocent" comments and hidden discrimination that were the starting point of the project: ESTRANGED. Even today, the rainbow community does not feel safe everywhere in the Netherlands. Many LGBT+ youth experience daily fear of rejection, confrontation, discrimination and increasingly aggression. As a result, youth partially hide their identity and become further estranged from themselves every day.

We will be there again this year! So once again this year you can enjoy my work during PAN Amsterdam, in the stand of Zerp Galerie from Rotterdam. Hopefully I'll meet you there to tell you about my work in person as well!

Counterbodies focuses on bringing together the work of artists who each offer a distinct interpretation of 'the body', as a thematic and visual source for research and experiment. The theme of 'the body' has always been prominent in artistic practices.

With two special presentations, Coming Out Day (11 October '22) was a fantastic day.I had been working on the project ESTRANGED for a long time and finally it could be presented. That ESTRANGED was going to be a special project. Even before the presentation took place yesterday, parts of the project were already on display at exhibitions in Malaysia and Nigeria, among others.

See the images that are part of the exhibition in Nigeria. The next slideshow gives you a short impression of the opening of this amazing exposition!

LGBT+ people still face legal and social challenges in Nigeria. In Nigeria, homosexuality is still illegal and even punishable by imprisonment for up to 14 years. The country therefore has no legal protection for LGBT+ people.

I was honored to be asked for an interview by the German HIM Magazine. This is a magazine about and for gay men, written in German. Since I really liked the interview I asked permission to translate it and publish it on my website as well.

With this project we want to give you an insight into the diversity of the fetish community through a series of portraits. But first this article will explain you in words what fetish is. When the photo project is finished it will also reflect that in images. Indeed, the fetish world encompasses a diverse group with people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. Although the fetish world is often seen as a subculture that is only about sexual preferences and activities that are outside the mainstream, it is important to understand that the community encompasses much more than just sex. In this article, we will briefly explain some characteristics of the fetish community and explain some stereotypes of fetish in order to highlight the diversity and inclusiveness of this community.

We are proud to announce that we have been asked by the Royal Library of the Netherlands whether they may archive our website for future research. This with the aim of preserving a piece of the zeitgeist by adding our site to their specially chosen selection. This makes us part of the documented Dutch literary history, something we are very proud of!

In the rainbow community there are often arguments about all kinds of issues. Our community therefore seems to be slowly polarising, just like today's society. As a result, the space to listen to each other and understand each other's point of view is disappearing. An important element being discussed is our flags and the choice people make.

LGBT+ events, they are still necessary to this day. Yet over the years there seems to have been a growing backlash against both the organizations and what they stand for. A change is underway, but where it will lead remains the big question.

After 2 years of COVID, I really wanted to photograph at Milkshake again this summer. For me, Milkshake is THE event where I myself got an insight into the diversity of the LGBT+ community. Here I learned how many different forms of friendship and love are possible. But also that sometimes you have to look further, or ask, how friendship or love works for someone.

Since Friday 10 June, the Pride Photo exhibition has been in Almere and right at the opening there was a commotion. A photo showing the partially covered genitals of a man (after transition) was displayed frontally at the bus station crossing. It was quickly moved to another spot, so that people were not immediately confronted with this photo when they stepped off the bus.