Biography
Dutch photographer Benny van der Plank (b.1979, Jakarta, Indonesia) started his career in urban planning. He studied at the Fotoacademie in Amsterdam and is currently also working as a Project Manager in Arts & Culture for the City of Amsterdam in Amsterdam North. His work has been exhibited at Rotterdam Photo and The London Photo Show, among several other exhibitions worldwide. He has won several awards and honors, including GUP New Talent 2022 and FRESH EYES European Talent 2021. He is winner of the Berlin Photo Week ‘Future' Challenge 2021 and the ‘State of the World 2022’ prize of The Prix de la Photographie Paris.
For the series Aftermath Hong Kong Protests he photographed the consequences of the protests in Hong Kong at the end of 2019. By then, clashes between police and protesters had become more frequent and increasingly violent, leaving an open wound on the daily lives of Hong Kong’s citizens. The series has been on view at several exhibitions worldwide, including Rotterdam Photo 2022, London Photo Show 2022, Sarajevo Photography Festival 2022 and Prix de la Photographie Paris 2022.
The series Errer was made during the pandemic when he left for Paris to be inspired for new work. However, he was overwhelmed by uncertainty, doubt and fear when he wanted to work in the same way as he had previously done. At one point, all he saw was a Paris that passed before him like a haze. It inspired him to make the series Errer, which translates as ‘wandering’. Errer is about overcoming setbacks, reinventing yourself and daring to walk new paths. The series has been exhibited at Rotterdam Photo during Rotterdam Art Week 2023.
Multropolis is an installation by Dora Lionstone and Benny van der Plank. The project proposes the experience of an imaginary city that offers myriad possibilities for new, shared experiences. It encourages viewers to create new mental maps while making space for more connections and perspectives in an ever-changing environment. Multropolis was on view from April until August 2023 at the NDSM Fuse exhibition 'Tijdgeest en Spookbeelden' in Amsterdam.
Breaking Boundaries is an art border wall installation by Marcela Perrusquía, Ana Pinho and Benny van der Plank. The project presents a stark contrast between both sides of a border wall. On one side lies the homeland, where memories coexist with the violence of escaping. On the other side stands the new land offering safety, yet shadowed by discrimination. It seeks to evoke the experience of a new beginning, where unity and empathy transcends the barriers of the border-walled world today. Breaking Boundaries is on view from 1 September 2023 until 10 March 2024 at the NDSM Fuse exhibition 'On the Run' in Amsterdam.
AWARDS
2022 GUP New Talent
2022 Winner 'State of the World' Prix de la Photographie Paris
2022 Honorable Mention Budapest International Foto Awards
2022 Finalist Sarajevo Photography Award
2021 FRESH EYES European Talent
2021 Winner 'Future' Challenge SAP x Berlin Photo Week
2022 Winner 'State of the World' Prix de la Photographie Paris
2022 Honorable Mention Budapest International Foto Awards
2022 Finalist Sarajevo Photography Award
2021 FRESH EYES European Talent
2021 Winner 'Future' Challenge SAP x Berlin Photo Week
EDUCATION
2020 How to Tell Your Story workshop, Ghent (BE) w/ Bieke Depoorter (Magnum Photos)
2020 Wet Plate Collodion workshop, Hilversum (NL) w/ Hans de Kort
2019 Continuous Light workshop, Amsterdam (NL) w/ William Rutten
2018-2020 Fotoacademie, Amsterdam (NL)
1998-2002 Urban Planning, Breda University of Applied Sciences (NL)
2020 Wet Plate Collodion workshop, Hilversum (NL) w/ Hans de Kort
2019 Continuous Light workshop, Amsterdam (NL) w/ William Rutten
2018-2020 Fotoacademie, Amsterdam (NL)
1998-2002 Urban Planning, Breda University of Applied Sciences (NL)