EXHIBITION ‘ZEE, ZAND EN IK’

A photo series about children in the Netherlands with a refugee background

ZEE, ZAND EN IK is a series of anonymous portraits of children in the Netherlands with a refugee background. This photo series is about fleeing and how the past travels through generations, like the waves of the sea. It tells a story how sometimes you want to let go of those experiences and cultural identity, and sometimes you want to hold on to them, like the warm sand of the beach, inseparably connected to each other.

Fled
Photographer Sandra Minten, winner of the Zilveren Camera, portrayed young people who fled from Eritrea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria. For a long time, sometimes years, they stayed in asylum seekers’ centers. They now have a residence permit in the Netherlands. These young people have been through a lot. Each with their own impressive story. They are portrayed in a place where they like to come and with an object from which they draw strength.

Save the Children is drawing attention to mental health
This photo series was commissioned by the children’s rights organization Save the Children. Children are strong and resilient, but we should not ignore the impact that traumatic experiences can have on their mental health. Therefore, we believe it is important for children to have access to mental health care. Unfortunately, we also see that many children do not find their way to mental health care. We believe this needs to change.

Exhibition
The exhibition can be seen throughout the entire month of May in the Passage of De Hallen. The digital exhibition, more information, and backstage footage can be found at savethechildren.nl/zee-zand-en-ik.