This project consist in photographs taken in Amsterdam's Artis Zoo and inspired by documents from the late nineteenth century. As I open this dialogue between the past and the present, I wish to reflect upon the structures of exhibition displayed by the zoo, and how this new relation to "otherness" (exotic beings and artefacts) translates a quest for self-identity.

The high definition photographs are taken inside the zoo, showing the habitats recreated for the animals inside cages. Their compositions are inspired by nineteenth century prints of the book Schetsen from P. H. Witkamp (1876), the comparison of the two revealing how these exotic settings have evolved through time.

With this project about the zoo, I wish to actualize the discourses about New Imperialism, a controversial moment in Western history. Indeed, the Artis zoo, located at the heart of Amsterdam, has embodied many issues related to the colonial ambitions of the West (eg. emergence of a bourgeois culture and of national identities). Furthermore, I want to ask what functions exoticism and authenticity still play today, highlighting how the political and the particular intertwine.

The project was carried out in collaboration with the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam Artis Zoo (Natura Artis Magistra) and Artis Zoo Library.