The photographic exhibition "Express Yourself" at the Rijksmuseum shows how young people expressed themselves in a variety of ways from 1981 to 2012, from the exuberant nightlife captured by Wessel, to the intimate portraits of teens on the verge of adulthood photographed by Bogaerts. The show focuses on the transformation of youth style and culture.
In the 1950s there was a clear division between young people and adults, with the young wanting to distinguish themselves with their own style. This made them an interesting subject for photographers. In the Netherlands, Ed van der Elsken was one of the first to capture this trend. Many photographers followed his example, including Wessel and Bogaerts.
"Express Yourself" is an impressive exhibition that provides insight into the diversity of youth culture through the decades. It offers a unique opportunity to see how young people have expressed themselves and how this expression has been captured by Wessel and Bogaerts' cameras.
Gerard Wessel
Gerard Wessel considers himself a street photographer, although he interprets this term broadly. He captured a wide range of subjects, including the Red Light District, urban nomads, vagrants, squares, the Vondelpark, and extravagant nightlife. His photographs in "Express Yourself" were taken primarily in Amsterdam, within a 1,000-meter radius of his home. For many years Wessel worked for the weekly magazine Nieuwe Revu, where his photos of young people were often published. Through his photographs, he wanted to fathom his fascination with his fellow man.
André Bogaerts
André Bogaerts focused on Amsterdam youth in the school environment. While studying at the Rietveld Academy, he began teaching photography classes at the IVKO. In the early 1980s he made a series of portraits of students. Seventeen of these portraits were published in 1982 in Vrij Nederland, along with interviews by Odette de Bont, in which the students talked about their clothing styles and choices.