Road To Roots

Road to Roots is a deeply personal photo series documenting a road trip across Java, Indonesia, an island that holds layers of unanswered questions and ancestral echoes. Shot in 2019, this journey marked the beginning of a quiet reckoning with identity, memory, and belonging.

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As an adoptee raised in a Western country by Dutch parents, my connection to Indonesia has always been complex, woven with both longing and loss. This trip became more than travel; it was a visual and emotional attempt to bridge the space between who I am and where I come from. Through the vibrant chaos of street markets, the resilience of local faces, and the solemn majesty of Java’s volcanic landscape, I sought traces of something familiar, something felt.

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Now, as a parent to a son of mixed heritage, half Indonesian, half Dutch, the significance of this journey deepens. How do we pass on roots we ourselves are still learning to understand? How do we create a cultural language for our children when our own is fractured?