Finissage: Saturday 17 May 16:00 - 19:00
From 12 April to 17 May 2025, the solo exhibition BIRDS OF PARADISE by Sander Dekker is on display at TORCH Gallery in Amsterdam. The exhibition is the result of The Zine Project by the Amsterdam-based photographer: a series of independently published, handmade publications.
In BIRDS OF PARADISE, Sander Dekker (1980, Amsterdam) brings together—for the first time—all the extraordinary, eccentric, independent, and vibrantly colorful individuals he has portrayed throughout The Zine Project, allowing them to share their unique stories with the world. As in some of his previous publications, he has chosen to accompany the images with detailed descriptions and text fragments, offering viewers a deeper understanding of who these individuals are and why they were photographed.
Celebrating otherness, freedom, joy, and self-expression is central to Dekker’s work, as is his interest and intrinsic motivation to tell the stories of others. By offering the right context, he ensures these stories are shared with the world in a considerate and meaningful way.
Dekker’s photography is centered around the spontaneous connection between him and his models, focusing on individuals who embrace their uniqueness and challenge norms. His work is not about showcasing ‘oddness’ but rather about authenticity, improvisation, trust, and equality. This approach led to The Social Media Project in 2011, where for ten years he portrayed eccentrics from around the world, often in their own homes, discovering their stories only during the shoot.
In 2021, Dekker launched The Zine Project, a multi-year initiative in which he explored a new format: a publication combining both images and text. The project, which concludes this year with its tenth edition, consists of a series of handmade, limited-edition zines. These zines, which sell out instantly upon release, tell a new story each time.
Step into the world of BIRDS OF PARADISE—the world of these vibrantly colorful individuals—and leave with an Emotional Goodie Bag. This is a heartfelt invitation to embrace diversity and make it a part of your own social circle.
See a video about the project here!
