Ben Krewinkel

My name is Ben Krewinkel and I am based in Haarlem, the Netherlands. As a documentary photographer I work with still and moving images, my own as well as archive material from both public and private collections. Being a (photo-)historian graduated in modern African history and documentary photography the focus of my work is the connection between historical and social issues, with an emphasis on Africa and the African Diaspora.

A recurring theme which still inspires is how people deal with the connection between their present, past and future. More often than not the contrast between my own background and that of my subjects constitutes a major part of my narrative and I am often both artist and subject. Fundamental to my approach is to be unconstrained by pre-conceived ideas of the outcome: on the contrary, close collaboration with the subject(s) and other artists allows the story to tell itself and the creative process to be captured.