Welcome to The Europeans

We are photographer Rob Hornstra and writer Arnold van Bruggen. For over 15 years, we’ve worked together on long-term, socially engaged projects. Our stories start with curiosity and intuition, but take shape through time, persistence and collaboration. From 2020 to 2030, we are working on The Europeans — a ten-year investigation into contemporary Europe. Previously, we created The Sochi Project (2009–2014), documenting the region around the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Vladimir Putin organized the most expensive Winter Olympics ever.

Across Europe, we see nationalism rising, democracies under pressure, and war back on the continent. The political dream of a united and peaceful Europe seems increasingly fragile. In The Europeans, we travel to multiple regions across the continent to explore what it means to be European today. Every chapter ends with a local exhibition and publication — not always in museums or galleries, but also in public spaces, storefronts and other places where people live and meet.

We have a short- and long-term ambition with this project. In the short term, The Europeans aims to spark dialogue and bridge divides — by telling stories that reflect the diversity, tension and beauty of Europe. In the long term, we want this project to become a historical document of the 2020s: a decade that will define Europe’s future. Inspired by photographers like Dorothea Lange, Robert Frank or Henri Cartier-Bresson, we are building a portrait of Europe that will remain relevant for generations.

The Europeans is operating under the umbrella of Stichting Jutland, a Dutch Public Benefit (ANBI) Foundation. The board consists of Fransje Sjenitzer, Maarten Timmerman and Ron Louwerse. We receive annual support from the ECF and project based support from various other public and private funds. An invaluable part of our funding comes from patrons. Thanks to our ANBI status, donations from Dutch supporters are tax-deductible. Would you like to support us in making this project possible? Please don’t hesitate to reach out — we’d love to hear from you.

arnold@arnoldvanbruggen.nl / studio@robhornstra.com