Aniek Hoevers

Mother

This project, “Mother,” shot on analog, shows how my mother’s life experiences shaped her, and the facets of her personality. My mother immigrated to the United States to find her absent father. She faced difficulties, and never formed a relationship with her father, but she graduated university and worked on Wall Street, where there were few women and she was called “The Dutch Bitch.” These challenges are the heart of our relationship: she protected me and pushed me to excel. I photographed her in garments, such as my father’s suit and tie and her bathrobe, that reflect the different sides of her. I undertook this project to understand my mother better; it brought us closer, letting me see her as a unique person and value our relationship. This project has enabled me to better understand myself and the childhood my mother wanted for me: the one that she was denied.