The Art of Protest
(work in progress)2025-2026
The Art of Protest is a documentary photography project in which I explore how people in the Netherlands exercise their right to protest today. I photograph demonstrations in public spaces, documenting the forms, strategies and rituals that repeatedly emerge. The Netherlands has a strong tradition of public protest, in which demonstrators, authorities and the press continuously negotiate the boundaries of what is permitted in public space.
My focus is not on the causes or issues behind the protests, but on the practice of protest itself: the locations chosen, the ways in which protests make themselves seen and heard, and the roles played by demonstrators, police and the press. By bringing these elements together, the project creates a layered portrait of protest as a social phenomenon.
The Art of Protest moves between observation and reflection. The project invites viewers to look beyond individual incidents and consider the meaning and effectiveness of protest within a democratic rule of law.
This project is made possible with the support of the Dutch Fund for Special Journalistic Projects (Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten).
Hoe wij waren
2024
ISBN 978-90-825555-3-0
90 pages
14x19cm
Not for sale
In the summer of 2024, I cycled back to Utrecht from the south of France, following the same route I had ridden in 2016 with my partner, Anna, the journey that marked the beginning of our relationship. After she passed away in 2023, retracing that route felt almost inevitable. Not with a clear purpose, but as a way of living with the loss and reconnecting with what had been.
Along the way, I began recreating photographs I had taken in 2016. Places where Anna had once been part of the image, I now photographed without her. Images that had once captured togetherness and happiness became quiet, empty moments. At the same time, I began to realise that this emptiness was not only painful, but also held a certain sense of calm.
The route brought back memories that had been buried deep. Small details triggered fragments of the past, but more than anything, I remembered how we had been together. Not the places themselves, but our dynamic, our way of being together, something difficult to put into words and impossible to fully share.
Back in Utrecht, it felt as though I had come full circle. What had once marked a beginning had taken on a different meaning. Not an ending, but a realisation that the story is complete, and that it lives on in memory and in images.
Jalan Raya Pos - The Great Post Road
2015 - 2016
Jalan Raya Pos - De Grote Postweg
ISBN 978-90-825555-0-9
144 pages| 140 x 193mm
Dutch | Hardcover
€25,- excl. shipping
To look for answers, I set out to cycle along Java’s oldest colonial road, the Jalan Raya Pos, or Great Post Road. It was built in 1808 under Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels. The road is well known in Indonesia, not because of Daendels’ achievement in completing its 1,100 kilometres in just a year and a half, but because of the many thousands of indigenous forced labourers who died during its construction. Daendels used brutal means to force the local population to work on the road.
On a typically Dutch bicycle, I began my journey from west to east across Java, looking for stories along the roadside. Stories that might reveal where and how the colonial past can still be felt today.
My Indo-Dutch grandmother left Indonesia for the Netherlands after the Indonesian War of Independence. Not by choice, but because there was no longer a place for Indo-Dutch people in the newly independent republic. She never returned to the country of her birth, and she never spoke about it again. She carried a history that no one would ever hear.
As I cycle along the Great Post Road, I write letters to my grandmother, telling her what the country she left in 1950 looks like today. I try to imagine the country in which she grew up, and to understand how that same country has changed since she left.
When the sun sets
2013
Ramadan is an important month for Muslims around the world. For 30 days, those who observe the fast abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, sex and other forms of consumption between dawn and sunset.
For some people in the West, the rituals and customs of the Islamic world can be difficult to understand and are sometimes dismissed as outdated or conservative. I am in Yogyakarta, on the Indonesian island of Java, and I want to understand what the fasting month means to people here and how they experience it.
With an estimated 230 million Muslims, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. It is therefore hardly surprising that Ramadan is an important time of year here. Muslim or not, the annual rituals surrounding Ramadan are an inescapable part of life.
Let it be spring
The Arab spring in Libya
2011
The Arab Spring swept across North Africa and the Middle East in early 2011. On 17 February that year, an uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi began in Libya. In the West, there were hopes that the Libyan uprising, like the revolution in Egypt, would bring about rapid political change. Instead, it developed into a long and bitter conflict in which many people lost their lives.
Initially, NATO was reluctant to become involved, partly out of concern that military intervention would draw comparisons with the war in Iraq. Like Iraq, Libya is rich in oil, and access to its oil reserves was an important international interest. During the uprising, the rebels established the National Transitional Council (NTC), which sought international recognition and developed relations with Western governments.
In March 2011, following a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising measures to protect civilians, an international coalition established a no-fly zone over Libya. NATO subsequently took command of the military operation, which was presented as an intervention to protect civilians from attacks by Gaddafi’s forces.
Free at last
South Sudan gained independence
2011
On 9 July 2011, the Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. After more than fifty years of conflict, including two devastating civil wars that had left the region deeply scarred, one of the world’s poorest countries hoped for a new future.
South Sudan is rich in oil, while neighbouring Sudan has far fewer reserves. With the secession of the South, Sudan lost most of its oil fields and a major source of revenue. At the same time, South Sudan’s oil could only be exported through pipelines running across Sudan. The division of oil revenues became an ongoing source of tension between the two countries. Sudan demanded a share of the proceeds; South Sudan rejected those demands.
In the run-up to independence, excitement was accompanied by growing uncertainty. Would Sudan intervene? In the capital, Juba, the military presence became increasingly visible. Of a population of around eight million at the time, approximately 250,000 served in the armed forces.
Independence was celebrated on a grand scale, with a new flag and a new national anthem. On the surface, the future seemed full of promise. But beneath the celebrations, the threat of renewed conflict remained. No agreement had yet been reached over oil, and the possibility of confrontation persisted. As people danced and sang in the streets, the same question hung in the air: would Sudan attack?
Steef
The Hague, 2009 - 2010
Book - Steef – 2010
By Eric Kampherbeek and Jeroen Stam
Published by Boeken aan zee
ISBN/EAN 978-90-815590-1-0
64 pages 20x25cm soft cover
€19,95,- excl. shipping
Steef grows up in a warm and close-knit family in Rotterdam, surrounded by music and a deep belief in people. Years later, his life seems stable and happy: he works hard, meets the love of his life and builds a life with her. But when she becomes seriously ill and dies, his world falls apart.
What follows is a gradual but relentless decline. Through an accumulation of loss, bureaucracy and misfortune, Steef loses his home, his income and eventually his sense of stability. He ends up on the streets, spending months trying to survive in parks and homeless shelters, while the institutions meant to support him are unable or unwilling to help.
Still, he refuses to give up. With the help of a small number of people who take an interest in his situation, he slowly begins to rebuild his life. His experiences permanently change the way he sees society. Drawing on what he has been through, he establishes a foundation to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances.
Together with journalist Jeroen Stam, I followed Steef for a year, documenting his story at close range.
Steef’s story reveals how fragile the boundary between security and precarity can be, and how resilience and human compassion can make all the difference.
Pasar Malam
Short film 2012
A short documentary film about a travelling fairground in Central Java, Indonesia. The young people who work at the fair seem to be searching for a sense of freedom, while they still can. At the same time, they work long hours for very little money.
I followed them with my camera for a week, documenting their lives on the road.
Info and contact
+31 622937314
La Couleur
KvK 27362683
Btw id NL001946711B08
Based in Utrecht
holder of a Dutch police press card (politieperskaart)
My documentary projects grow out of curiosity and personal engagement. Photography is a way for me to explore, ask questions and draw attention to what I find striking, surprising or unsettling. My work moves between journalistic observation and a personal, visual approach.
Previous projects have focused on homelessness in The Hague, the Arab Spring in Libya and the independence of South Sudan. In recent years, I have also turned my attention to Indonesia and the Dutch colonial past, subjects that are connected to my own Indo-Dutch background.
I am currently working on The Art of Protest, a long-term documentary project exploring how people in the Netherlands exercise their right to protest. I photograph a wide range of demonstrations, examining the recurring forms, rituals and relationships that shape contemporary protest.
My long-term projects take shape through photobooks and exhibitions. My work has been exhibited at Melkweg Galerie, Het Nutshuis and Stroom Den Haag, and several of my photobooks have been published.
My work recevied financial suport from the following:
2026 | Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten
2022 | Mondriaan Fonds | Expositie Tong-Tong Fair
2019 | Dutch Culture – Shared Cultural Heritage bijdrage
2015 | Crowdfunding campagne via IndieGogo | Jalan Raya Pos
2015 | Pro Kunstprojecten – Stroom Den Haag | Jalan Raya Pos
2015 | Stichting Democratie en Media | Jalan Raya Pos
2015, 2013, 2012, 2009 | SPOT Documentatie subsidie – Stroom Den Haag
2010 | Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunsten (AFK) | Expositie Less@home Melkweg Galerie
2010 | Fonds 1818 / Staedion / Kessler Stichting | Expositie Hotel Holland
2010 | Gemeente Den Haag | Sponsoring publicatie boek ‘Steef’
Exposities
2022 | Groep | Tong-Tong Fair Den Haag | De donkere kamer van Indië
2019 | Groep | Nutshuis Den Haag | Jalan Raya Pos
2016 | Solo | Stroom Ondertussen in Den Haag | Jalan Raya Pos
2015 | Groep| Raadhuis de Paauw in Wassenaar | Jalan Raya Pos
2010 | Solo | Galerie Staedion in Den Haag | Hotel Holland
2010 | Solo | Melkweg Galerie in Amsterdam | Less@home
2010 | Groep | Festival K4W in Wassenaar | Steef
2009 | Groep | Bouwhouse festival in Den Haag | Less@home
2009 | Solo | Ministerie van VWS in Den Haag | Daklozen in Den Haag
2006 | Solo | Centrale Bibliotheek Den Haag | Serie ‘Lost’
Webshop
In this webshop, you’ll find books (and a set of postcards) created by me. You can pay by credit card or PayPal. If you prefer to pay with iDEAL/Wero, please send me a message with your order and I’ll send you a payment link that allows you to pay via iDEAL.
View your shopping chart
Het gras bij de buren
Eric Kampherbeek
ISBN 978-90-825555-1-6
80 pages | 100 x 140mm
Dutch | Softcover
(also available in Indonesian)
This little book consists of 44 drawings and is binded by hand.
€20,00
Jalan Raya Pos – De Grote Postweg
Eric Kampherbeek
ISBN 978-90-825555-0-9
144 pages | 140 x 193mm
Dutch | Hardcover
(including inlay with Indonesian translation)
€25,00
Kaki Lima
6 postcards featuring Indonesian street food stalls.
Kaki Lima means “five legs” in Indonesian: three belonging to the food cart and two to the vendor.
iPad drawings printed on beautiful, heavyweight 350 g/m² textured paper.
Set of 6 A6 postcards (105 × 148 mm) in an envelope.
€12,00
Steef
By Eric Kampherbeek and Jeroen Stam
2010 Published by Boeken aan zee
ISBN/EAN 978-90-815590-1-0
64 pages 20x25cm soft cover
€19,95
Kessler Stichting
By Eric Kampherbeek and Elke Swart
2009 Published by De Nieuwe Haagse
ISBN/EAN 978-94-6010-017-8
120 pages 20 x 25cm soft cover
€19,95
Eric Kampherbeek
erickampherbeek@gmail.com
Als freelance fotograaf werk ik aan langlopende fotodocumentaire projecten. Hierbij richt ik mij op onderwerpen als het koloniale verleden en onderwerpen die onze maatschappij bezig houden.
Ook maak ik in opdracht portretten, (journalistieke) reportages en maak ik werk binnen de culturele sector.
Ik woon en werk in Utrecht.
Hoe wij waren (niet te koop)
Het gras bij de buren
Jalan Raya Pos
Less@home
Steef
Kessler Stichting
2022 | Groep | Tong-Tong Fair Den Haag | De donkere kamer van Indië
2019 | Groep | Nutshuis Den Haag | Jalan Raya Pos
2016 | Solo | Stroom Ondertussen in Den Haag | Jalan Raya Pos
2015 | Groep| Raadhuis de Paauw in Wassenaar | Jalan Raya Pos
2010 | Solo | Galerie Staedion in Den Haag | Hotel Holland
2010 | Solo | Melkweg Galerie in Amsterdam | Less@home
2010 | Groep | Festival K4W in Wassenaar | Steef
2009 | Groep | Bouwhouse festival in Den Haag | Less@home
2009 | Solo | Ministerie van VWS in Den Haag | Daklozen in Den Haag
2006 | Solo | Centrale Bibliotheek Den Haag | Serie ‘Lost’