16th October 1992- the day was special due to two main reasons. First reason being that I turned all of 8 years old, but more importantly because I got my first ever camera to experiment with. Cameras, pictures and photography had come into my life to stay ever since.
When I moved to Stockholm in 2006, I decided it was time to take it to another level. I studied at Kulturama for a year. I learnt a lot but the real inspiration came from people, both the teachers and students around me. I was spending evenings and nights in the darkroom and I think it was there, that I discovered my fascination for the art of photography.
Time passed by and my interest was alive but the inspiration for my personal journey was still far away. I got a few jobs here and then, mostly weddings and children's portraits. After a while I started to feel more and more drawn to the culture of the gypsies. I couldn't understand why but I started a project on them anyway. I travelled to Bulgaria and found a village where I got to meet gypsies for the first time. The culture made me even more interested so I continued to seek them out. I also travelled to Greece and France with the same intent. The project continued to bring me excitement and happiness. In December 2009, my father enlightened me with the fact that my grandmother's family were gypsies from Belgium! This made me understand how big an effect, family roots could have on us humans. Suddenly I was a part of something that only began as a fascination.
Now I am proud to present my first picture exhibition from this project which has made me move forward with photography and also given me the courage to believe in what I create. My dream is to continue to combine the two things I enjoy the most in life- travelling and photography. Eagerly waiting to see what the future brings!