Iris Haverkamp Begemann Explores Identity and Belonging with New Photobook

Dutch photographer Iris Haverkamp Begemann, represented by Czar Amsterdam, has released her first photobook, ‘I Went on a Holiday to the Country You Fled From’, which will be presented on Thursday the 16th of May at FOAM Amsterdam.

The photographic series, developed by Iris in collaboration with Mexican trans writer and activist Alejandra Ortiz, weaves together experiences of belonging and rejection to create an intimate portrait of identity and the complex ways that it dictates personal freedom.

In forming a tight-knit friendship, Iris and Alejandra began to acknowledge the parallels in their day-to-day lives in Amsterdam, but also the harsh contrast in their lived experiences. Through conversation, an idea for creative collaboration was born: Using the inherent privilege Iris embodies as a cis-gendered white woman, she would travel to Alejandra’s hometown in Mexico to document the place Alejandra left behind in an attempt to escape violence. The practicalities reduced to Iris easily applying for a holiday visa, while Alejandra continued to fight for her asylum. A journey and photography series to expose a juxtaposition in experience and personal freedom.

Led by instructions and a hand-printed map drawn from memory, Iris traces Alejandra’s early life in Salitral de Carrera, Mexico. Arriving in the remote town, Iris is welcomed in a community where Alejandra felt both loved and cared for, but also extremely unsafe, marginalised and rejected by her own family. The cinematographic, earth-toned photographs stand in stark contrast to Alejandra’s handwritten notes, putting the harsh realities of her childhood onto paper.

The official book launch will take place on May 16th at FOAM Amsterdam from 18:00 to 20:00. Tickets are available at FOAM’s website here.