DNA

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I am working on a very special project, one that is dear to my heart and soul. I’m not sure whether I will be able to carry it out this year or next year, but I am slowly nurturing it, gathering all the information I’ll need to bring it to life. It is a project that draws me closer to home.

Last summer, I took a DNA test out of pure curiosity about where my ancestors came from, and I discovered roots in several “-stan” countries, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. I have felt a quiet pull toward these places for many years, but I never followed it—until now. I am planning to travel and document the lives of people who still live close to their traditions and to nature, and through this process, to understand them and myself more deeply.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
I am learning how much time it takes to find the right people and the right connections. Because my idea is to find a family living remotely and close to their traditions, I want to find someone I can truly trust and feel comfortable with—someone I could live with for a week or two, so I could really learn about their life and their customs. I have also learned that doing this research makes me feel strangely at home, as if something in me recognizes these places. I haven’t been to my homeland for seven years, which breaks my heart, but I’m not yet ready to return. Somehow, by going to these countries that are part of my DNA, I allow myself to go back—if not to a place, then to a part of myself that was left behind.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
Words: Peace. Home. Rawness. Tranquility.

Ideas: So many—still waiting to be written into words. For now, they exist mostly as images, a quiet cinema in my mind.

Emotions: Awe. A profound calm. Serenity. Joy. Creativity. Excitement. Peacefulness. Contentment. Wonder. Playfulness.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I am always reading something or watching films. I recently watched a short documentary by Mateo Arango Guerreras, filmed in Mongolia, and became deeply fascinated by it. It tells the story of eagle hunters, and of one family in which this tradition was passed down to a daughter for the first time, after generations of being passed only to men. Alongside this, I’ve had many conversations with people in the industry based in countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan—people who understand my vision and have helped me navigate this path, even connecting me with potential families I might stay with during my travels.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
Feeling stuck. Not having a clear end goal. January is always a slow month for me. It feels contradictory—on one hand, it’s the beginning of the year, full of ideas and hopes; on the other, it’s a quiet, heavy month for many creatives. I have to remind myself every day that this slowness is natural, and that I’m not alone in it. Still, that feeling can pull you under and leave you uninspired. So I try, each day, to do at least one small thing that might spark my creativity and light the way toward future projects.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Teuchi Soba Mifune in Tokyo, Japan. Honestly, everything was so delicious. I was lucky enough to go there with my Japanese team after a shoot, and they chose what we ordered—every dish was impeccable.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
The last few months of 2025 felt like Lost in Translation, with a soundtrack by Djo, “End of Beginning". February has only just started, but I’m manifesting something closer to Little Miss Sunshine meeting The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with a soundtrack by Petu,Masalo Remix”.

Which studios, laboratories, or workshops have you collaborated with recently or would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I recently collaborated with a New York–based studio called Ninth Street, where I gave my very first masterclass on Zoom. It was an incredible experience. I loved meeting everyone and helping photographers better understand and navigate the industry. I’ve also been back in the darkroom—one of my favorite places in the Netherlands: SPEC—where I can do my color hand-printing from film.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
Lately, I’ve been very drawn to Ivan Bideac’s work. What I love about it is how raw it feels, and how the depth of color pulls me in every single time. I admire the way he weaves his culture and ethnicity into his images, just as intuitively as he works with color. It feels as though so much of his inspiration flows directly from his background, and you can truly feel that in the work.