De Standaard, Handicap international, UNHCR 

Exodus from Syria

“We fled with my seriously injured husband, three children and about 20 other Syrians. We had to cross the border illegally, as the regime does not allow entire families to leave. I looked after our three children. My youngest daughter of 11 months started crying and would betray the whole group. I put my hand over her mouth. After a while I noticed that she was unconscious. An uncle was able to resuscitate her. When I arrived in Lebanon I was completely out of my mind. I couldn’t stop screaming. I was overcome with guilt and fear. I was admitted to a hospital. Now I am feeling a bit better, but the fear and shame have remained.”

De standaard 

“The people I met have opened my eyes, and I hope that my photos in turn, can help overcome the stereotype ( or cliché) vision of ‘the gypsy’.

The legend of the wild, beautiful, artistic, free gypsy is just a myth.

The image of the pitiful but deceptive beggar is abusive.

In Romania, most gypsies live a miserable life of gruesome poverty.

A high percentage of illiteracy and social exclusion led to alienation and miscommunication which created a lack of trust and understanding from both sides”.

Museum Dokter Guislain, sponsored by Flemish government. tekst Maya Wolny

Memories are aromatic. The grey matter of memory takes on color through smells, through the taste of a madeleine dipped in a cup of tea. I sniff the scent, pull on the invisible cigarette of my earliest sinful memories. I feel a soapy laundry smell. Warmth of bedding, laundered of dreams and desire. I’m thinking of the brand “E” Polish Washing Powder, the only miracle cure available for dark memory spots. Perfect for long johns, long stockings and the first bra in the practical color of onion peel. But also for lace-like curtains, in the cheap chic of white nylon: firanka….

A dream come true, Knack magazine

The infamous Essex seaside village was a popular holiday destination in the 1920s. In the center you could go boating, eat fish and chips at “The Dolphin Dinner” or play bingo at “the Mermaid Inn”. Now it’s empty here. Jaywick is officially the poorest place in England. 62% of the active population is unemployed. The houses are sold to dubious “landlords” who rent out the dilapidated houses. Yet there are people who love it here. “It’s quiet here” an old woman tells me “What we see depends mainly on what we look for”.

Mo magazine, NRC handelsblad, medecins du monde

Since the refugee crisis in 2016 Ihave travelled to Hungary, Turkey and Greece to photograph the degrading way in which refugees are received in Europe.

After a bike ride through Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey we arrive at our final destination.

Iran, the land of poetry, colorful bazaars, ancient Persian remains, gigantic mosques and desert, but also of the Basijis, the chadors and strict rules.

The Holi festival or the festival of colors is considered to be the second biggest festival after Diwali. Holi is the time which ushers in the spring season and ends the winter blues. The festival marks the celebration of good over evil.

De Standaard, the Israeli military service

Daria is  nineteen and has thirteen soldiers in her squad. Her commander is a 21-year-old girl, she has a hundred soldiers under her wings.“What fascinates me is how you can change people. As a commander, we see the transformation from civilians into soldiers. In Israel it is sometimes said that you get a new hard drive when you turn eighteen. You can really knead them. That is satisfying. I rarely have fear; as long as we do our job correctly, it will be fine! Oddly enough, the danger also has a positive effect, it brings us together. Together we will get there! You understand?”

Balkan initiatives

For my graduation I made a photo report about Shtime. A small village in Kosovo where a year previous, bitter ethnic conflicts had taken place. Upon arrival, I was moved by the situations of the Serbian families that had stayed behind. They lived completely secluded lives. Their houses were surrounded by barbed wire and their windows were barred. They live under 24/7 security provided by the KFOR 

The Cure Salée festival is held every year at the end of the rainy season in northern Niger. Nomadic Peul and Kel Tamsheq  gather to refresh their herds in the salty pools before heading south for the dry season. It is a time for the nomads to meet, play music,  dance, dress up in their finest clothes and meet each other.

Welzijnszorg, Kadoc

There are People we don’t see. They are rarely found in the places we visit, in the universities, at the sports clubs or in the cafes where we relax. They exist all over the world, people who live in poverty from father to son, mother to daughter and who do not or hardly participate in “our society”. Poverty eats away at their health, keeps their environment small and hinders the opportunities to learn, get a job and find a healthy home. This vicious circle makes people dependent. They are not expected anywhere and become isolated. They are ashamed of their situation, something that eats away at their self-image. Fortunately, there are people who want to be photographed and testify to this existance…

 Handicap international. Exhibition with Layla Aerts, Bieke De poortere en Katrijn Van Giel

Three woman photographers went to Cambodja, Mali and Vietnam in search of beautiful and poignant images. They show how a woman experiences her pregnancy and childbirth and how she sees her children grow up, through trial and error.

Damian foundation is a Belgian non-profit medical organization that works for people with leprosy, tuberculosis and other diseases that mainly affect the most vulnerable population groups.

Aids and prostitution in Kinshasa, docters without borders, UNICEF

The HIV/aids epidemic in the DRC could be regarded as one of the oldest epidemics in Africa. The first incident was reported in 1983. An increasing number have reached the stage where the sickness develops into a disease. In Kinshasa, a city containing around 6 million inhabitants, the prevalence of this virus is estimated to have affected 5% of the population. In 1993, AZG (Artsen zonder Grenzen) decided to take up the responsibility of dealing with sexually transmitted diseases. 

IPPF. Contraception has been well established in Belgium and abortion has been legal for over 25 years. Worldwide 220 million women yearn for a contraceptive. Commissioned by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, I travelled through Albania, Bosnia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, documenting the search made by girls and women for control over their own bodies and their own lives.

Living on a contested border, De Standaard, tekst Lucas Destrijcker.

Tight barbed wire and steel fences cutting people off from their land, while no go zones expand at a fearful rate. This is the daily reality for the inhabitants on either side of the non-recognized borders between Georgia and its breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A no man’s land where Russia sets the rules.

This reportage was realized with the support of the Journalismfund.eu.

Japan Osaka, Flanders center. These photo’s originated from my series on the Brussels subways. 

I was asked by the Flanders centre, to exhibit this series in Osaka. At first, I couldn’t see the link, but upon arrival, I noticed that this very same atmosphere of unreality dominated the entire city. Thousands of hurrying people filled the streets and collectively they gave the impression that they were making up for lost time. They barely had time to look back. They focused on making their way through the crowds fixed on reaching their destination as fast as possible. This reportage is very different to my other work. I was unable to make contact with my subject and as a result began to pay more attention to lines, colours and movement.