In 2018, Jan Dirk van der Burg was elected Fotograaf des Vaderlands (‘national photographer’). In the Fall of 2022, he will hand over his title to a new photographer. To conclude his tenure, the Nederlands Fotomuseum presents a retrospective exhibition of the extraordinary photography oeuvre he has built over the past 3 years. Typical Dutch shows what the Netherlands looks like. Van der Burg turns his remarkable photo series into a bizarre portrait of a country that considers itself so normal.

With Typical Dutch, the Nederlands Fotomuseum presents a humoristic reflection on the extraordinary everyday life of the Dutch photographer Jan Dirk van der Burg. What did he encounter in the Netherlands over the past few years? What does the Netherlands look like? Why are there white HOME letters in the windowsill? Why would one camouflage a wheelie bin? Why are telephone masts disguised as trees? Why?

Typical Dutch cheerfully rejects the idea that the Netherlands is ordinary. Counterexamples range from polder Buddhism to disguised wheelie bins and the ingenuity for the low maintenance front garden. This exhibition presents witty reflections and a unique view of the everyday. After viewing this exhibition, you will never look at your surroundings the same again.  At every street corner you will stop and wonder: Why?

Author(s): Jan Dirk van der Burg

Epilogue: Hans van der Windt (Nederlands Fotomuseum)

Photography: Jan Dirk van der Burg

Language: Nederlands (English edition available)

Pages: 272

Size: 22 x 26,5 cm

Version: Paperback

ISBN: 978-94-6208-667-8

Year: 2022

Publisher: NAI010 ism Nederlands Fotomuseum

Design: Studio Hendriksen

With support of : Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds