You Huddle To Keep Warm

Over the past years I’ve portrayed young men from peripheral communities and diasporas in the West. I found them in segregated Moluccan neighbourhoods, the cités of Marseille and the peripheries of several other Western cities.

These men acted as mirrors. I recognized myself in their histories, their aggression, their joy, their wounds, their vulnerability, their armour and their masks. ‘You Huddle To Keep Warm’ is a tribute to the men who recognized and welcomed me (and my camera) into their space.

Aldomejo, Rafa, Pocket Coffee, Deluxe, Murat, Djaverron, Claudio, Christo, Sharky, Larry, Saf, Tchek, Brian, Renis, Jair, Masoed, Jur, Samir, Nabil, Sofiane, Mo, Yous, Henrie, Kleintje, Salem, Eddy, Oumar, Sahil, Jeremiah, Jacob, Mohamed

Rest in peace

Fresh, 18-05-2022

Artist Bios

Elizar Veerman

Elizar Veerman is a Moluccan-Dutch photographic artist based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His photographic practice is particularly concerned with the effects of Colonialism and Migration. Focusing on peripheral communities and diasporas, he portrays representations of masculinity and acts of (self-) reclamation in both Documentary and Fashion photography.

He started his photography career with Dana Lixenberg. His debut series ‘You Huddle To Keep Warm’ received multiple nominations including DuPho SO Award, Rabo Portrait Prize and Fashion 100 by PhotoVogue. His work has been published in GQ Middle East, Fisheye Magazine and NRC.

Organizations

Melkweg Expo

Melkweg Expo is an exhibition space for contemporary photography and a platform for emerging artists, located in the heart of Amsterdam. With a focus on photography that explores identity, society and pop culture. Characterized by a distinctly playful and accessible approach, Melkweg Expo seeks to unveil high quality art – art that is innovative, engaging and inclusive.

Melkweg Expo’s main goal is to nurture and promote emerging talent and present them to a broad audience – from admirers of art, photography addicts, art students and self-taught artists, to the casual passers-by of the venue’s central location and music lovers surfacing from the crowd of a Melkweg concert. Melkweg Expo is part of Melkweg.

Melkweg stands for pop culture in the most broad of senses. Each year, hundreds of concerts, club nights, films and music films, theatre performances, expositions and multidisciplinary events together attract almost 540,000 visitors.

The venue is located in the only surviving factory building on the Amsterdam canal ring, a former sugar and, later, milk factory.

In the Melkweg, established names can be seen alongside new talent and emerging styles get the chance to reach a broader audience. The diversity of its programming and visitors have for years made the Melkweg a unique place.
Photoville

Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.

In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.

By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.

Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.

For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Dutch Culture USA

Dutch arts, culture, and shared cultural heritage are represented in the U.S. through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington, DC, and the Consulates General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. The headquarters for cultural services is the Press and Cultural Affairs Department of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York.

FUTURE 400, a 2024/2025 initiative of the Netherlands Consulate General in New York, endeavors to honor 400 years of Dutch-New York history with honesty and integrity, creating space for others who share this common heritage to voice their feelings and experiences at this monumental moment. Partners from cultural to commercial fields, from the New York area to the Netherlands will come together to create new work and new opportunities that will continue to write the next chapter of our shared story, our collective…FUTURE 400. More information: www.dutchcultureusa.com