Growing up in the Netherlands in a Catholic family, Hornstra explains that he learned that “if you don’t fit into this Roman Catholic community, then you’re being considered easily as outcast, as the ones who are weird. And I started doubting this very much, because I learned that these weirdos in my village were actually not that weird. That’s exactly where I want to play a role with my photography”. Hornstra opens conversations and fosters connections between communities that rarely come into contact and says “I think that’s so extremely important in society nowadays and that’s so extremely lacking as well”.

“When I work on projects […] I have a lot of doubts […] But that’s part of being an artist, isn’t it? Like in the end, you have to embrace it. You have to embrace all these insecurities and go for it. So get out of your bed, pick up your camera and just go. You never know what to expect. There are always days that you feel that you do stupid things, or that there is nothing to photograph or whatsoever, but the next day might be better. And there are not so many days in a lifetime to make photographs.”

Acclaimed for his long-term, deeply immersive visual storytelling and best known for The Sochi Project (2009–2014), created with writer Arnold van Bruggen, Hornstra’s work critically explores the intersections of post-Soviet identity, politics, and everyday life in regions like the Caucasus. Through self-published photobooks and global exhibitions — from New York’s Aperture Foundation to the International Centre of Photography in Norway — he has redefined independent visual journalism. His images are held in major European collections, including the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris and the Musée de la Photographie in Charleroi. Honored with awards from Magnum Photos, World Press Photo, and the Dutch Doc Photo Award, Hornstra continues to challenge narratives and expand the boundaries of documentary photography. From 2020 to 2030 Hornstra and van Bruggen will be working on the project The Europeans – a ten-year investigation into comtemporary Europe. Read more on Hornstra and the project The Europeans.

Rob Hornstra was interviewed by Anders Mørch in October 2024.

Camera: Anders Mørch

Edited by: Anders Mørch

Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2025

Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond and Ny Carlsbergfondet.