Information
Bertus Gerssen (1974). I am a social documentary photographer. In 2008 I graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague with the book "Who is there will stay there'. It is a book about the youth of my native village Urk. I started from my curiosity into why the local youth chose to remain in their village, instead of going to study in other cities and discover the outside world.
A selection from the book was published in a supplement of the newspaper NRC entitled 'Enclaves'.
Late 2008/early 2009 my series on rural squatters was published in 'Vrij Nederland'. Squatting, in the countryside, a fairly unknown phenomenon that occurs across the Netherlands.
For my latest project, 'DocuDenHaag' I portrayed residents of The Hague in terms of 'The social landscape of The Hague'.
In my work I concentrate on the life of 'regular' people. I point my lens at youth, living communities and social injustice, to name a few.
Bertus Gerssen photography
Alexander Gogelweg 12
2517 JH, Den Haag
The Netherlands
info[at]bertusgerssen.nl
+31 6 4178 9582
Education
From 2003 until 2008 BA Royal Academy of Arts The Hague editorial photography From 1994 until 1999 University of Groningen MSc Molecular Biology
Publications
16 dec 2011
NRC Handelsblad; 'Birds are more important than women'
24 nov 2011
NRC-Next; 'Birds are more important than the wife'
12 july 2011
NRC-Next; ‘Christian nitpicking tells them nothing about God’
13 juni 2011
Haags Straatnieuws; ‘No space for harddrug-users’
15 May 2011
Contrast, theme magazine about Fanaticism 'The world of squatters then and now'
5 November 2010
Doorbraak.eu magazine Court-case against Passport Act (only in Dutch)
16-17 October 2010
Volkskrant Magazine: Forbidden to dwell, a photo series with interviews about living, squatting and the squatting ban. Download the article (only in dutch): Forbidden to dwell
June 2010
The Word Magazine: The Breakthrough Issue Music Special. The last few outlaws ride the waves; Article on Radiopirates in Londen and Holland. check it out here
11 November 2009
NRC Next: Article on drug abuse by young people in villages download the article (only in Dutch)
27 december 2008
Article in winter edition of Vrij Nederland magazine: Countryside squatters in cooperation with writer Judy Zweytzer
24 december 2008
Article in supplement of NRC newspaper entitled 'Across borders, enclaves'. with photo's of the project Urk, 'Who is there will stay there'. Download here (in Dutch only)
June 2008
'Wie er is die blift er al' (Who is there will stay there), self published book; ISBN 97890813223
17 march 2008
Magazine 'Post-Crossing Border', photo's of the visitors and attending artists of the music and literary festival Crossing Border (November 2007)
Exhibitions
26 September 2010
Open day at Villa Grijpsheerd. Group-exhibition, The Hague
18 March-16 May 2010
'Gone with the wind', a group exhibition at the Keukenhof, Lisse
5 january - 19 february 2010
'The social landscape of The Hague' Docu Den Haag; together with five other documentary photographers I tried to show distinct or maybe not so clear changes of the community of the city of The Hague
1 september - 3 november 2009
'Who is there will stay there'; Hogeschool of Utrecht, Faculty Community and Law
24 may - dec 2009
'Countryside squatters'; on exhibit at lunchroom Baklust, The Hague
20 april - 22 june 2009
'Who is there will stay there'; Hogeschool of Utrecht, Institute of Social Work, Amersfoort
8 january 2009
'Communities' a group exhibition at gallery Andergrond (The Hague) together with Eva Flendrie and Myrtille Visscher. Download the flyer
4 - 6 july 2008
Overview in the archive space of the squat The Illusion of artists and designers who lived or worked in The Illusie: illusie.org. Please sign the petition!
28 june - 6 july 2008
Final exam exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts
July - august 2007
'Photo's at sea' group exhibition 'Pride', portraits of elderly people of the village Urk dressed in traditional clothing