Rob Hornstra
"Ordinary People"

Exhibition: 27 May – 4 October 2026
Opening: Wednesday, 27 May, 7pm, artist talk at 6pm

At Jakopič Gallery in collaboration with Fotomuseum Den Haag we present the renowned Dutch photographer Rob Hornstra with his retrospective exhibition "Ordinary People". The first international presentation of the exhibition features iconic images from everyday life (a butcher working behind his counter, an office worker sitting at a desk, or children at play …), which can serve as symbols of the moment or place in which the photograph was taken. For the first time, the exhibition will also include several recent works from the series Europeans, taken in Slovenia, which Hornstra is developing with the writer Arnold van Bruggen. The works in this series challenge contemporary notions of Europe and encourage one to reflect on its identities, borders, and shared values.

Rob Hornstra (*1975) has created a portrait of our times by photographing people in their everyday lives over the past twenty years. He is dedicated to long-term documentary and socially engaged projects, but primarily works as a portrait photographer. Over the years, he has also developed his own distinctive method of categorizing photographs, which he uses to create connections between individual photographic series.

At the Jakopič Gallery we present Hornstra's exhibition as part of our programme dedicated to preserving memories and cultural heritage, which simultaneously helps to provide a broader social understanding of photography as one of the most expressive, communicative, and creative visual media.

Rob Hornstra's goal is to capture his subjects through the lens in such a way that they will remain with us into the future—not as individuals, but as bearers of the meanings they represent.

Rob Hornstra focuses on long-term documentary and socially engaged projects as a portrait photographer, seeking iconic images that can serve as symbols of the moment or place in which the photograph was taken. In the last 20 years, he has created a human portrait of our time by photographing people in their everyday situations, with a focus on Russia and Europe. His primary interest is capturing scenes from day-to-day life, such as the image of a butcher working behind his counter, an office worker sitting at a desk, or children at play.

In collaboration with Fotomuseum Den Haag, the Jakopič Gallery is hosting the first international presentation of Hornstra’s retrospective exhibition Ordinary People. This exhibition is part of our programme dedicated to preserving memories and cultural heritage, which simultaneously helps to provide a broader social understanding of photography as one of the most expressive, communicative, and creative visual media.

"Ordinary People" features predefined categories that Hornstra himself, inspired by the work of German photographer August Sander, uses to classify his photographs, and which form the foundation of his series, such as work, youth, folk customs ... Still, his system is not strict, with portraits being found in more than one category at once. They are accordingly not established as rigid typologies, and instead reflect the multifaceted nature of human experience. The described approach acts as a guide for the author in his work and allows him to portray people with diverse backgrounds, and yet, precisely because of it, he (un)consciously creates connections among people that transcend national borders.

Alongside over 70 group and individual portraits, Jakopič Gallery is premiering a selection of his works created in Slovenia from the series Europeans (2020-2030), which he is developing in partnership with the writer Arnold van Bruggen. Together, they have embarked on a decade-long quest to capture the modern European at a time when Europe is grappling with crises. Taken in the regions of Carinthia and Styria before the recent parliamentary elections, the portraits not only tell stories about the people in the photographs but also highlight their social roles. The photographer’s goal is to capture subjects in such a way that they will remain with us in the future – not as individuals, but as bearers of the meanings they represent.

Hornstra’s works challenge contemporary notions of Europe and encourage one to reflect on its identities, borders, and shared values. The photographer’s vision transforms the individual into the collective, elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary, while inviting visitors to view themselves and others via the lenses of empathy, curiosity, and creativity.

Rob Hornstra (Borne, 1975) is a Dutch photographer who works on long-term documentary projects, both in the Netherlands and abroad. His work appears internationally in books, newspapers, magazines, and exhibitions, and is part of collections such as Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Huis Marseille Amsterdam, Maison Européenne de la Photographie Paris, Musée de la Photographie Charleroi, and Fondazione MAST, Bologna. In addition to being a photographer, he has been co-head for more than five years of the Bachelor’s and Master’s Photography programs at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK) and he is the driving force behind the live talk show FOTODOK Book Talks at TivoliVredenburg.

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive monograph in English and Dutch published by Lannoo, titled "Ordinary People" and the special Slovenian-English publication by Jakopič Gallery "Kjer ogenj tli / Where the Fire Slumbers", dedicated to the portraits from Slovenia included in the "Europeans" series. Both publications are on sale at Jakopič Gallery and at the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (MGML) online shop.

More about his projects: here