Image from the exhibition ‘Now Keep Quite Still’ by Herbert Shergold (curated by Hedy van Erp).
Hedy van Erp is a Dutch photo historian, author and curator of photography and video art. Here she speaks about working in a Mexican restaurant in York, her love of Lee Miller and the importance of the sea.
The Festival Q+A
What did you want to be when you were growing up? An archaeologist, a detective, or a writer. I actually became all three, if you put the word ‘photo’ in front of them.
Can you remember the first photograph that inspired you to be an artist? That would have to be an artist photo. It would be cool to now say ‘of David Bowie’, but it’s more likely Mud 🙂 … although a neighbour gave me Bowie’s live album ‘Stage’ in 1978 and I remember the album design impressed me, as it was so different from the records sleeves I knew as a 12 year-old. I also remember a picture in NME of the Cure in leather jackets, artistically positioned, so it was likely taken by Anton Corbijn around 1981. It’s a hand-coloured black-and-white photo taken outside, near large puddles of water reflecting the light from the sky.
What is the worst job you have ever done? Working as a waitress in a Mexican restaurant in York when I was a student. The people and the food were great, but the staff had to wear sombreros, which seriously undermined my idea of cool. And the place was haunted (no joke)
Who do you admire and why? Although nobody’s perfect, it’s hard to name someone who is still alive, as people can still turn into Trump-loving idiots. So I’d say Lee Miller, for her courage and work. I’ve been a long-term admirer, I even named my eldest daughter after her. Special mention goes to Joe Strummer, whom I wanted to marry when I was 14.
Where do you feel at home? Near the sea. I was born in The Hague, close to the sea. I remember the colours of the late sixties and early seventies, the orange parasols on the beach. As an adult I always lived in places where the North Sea was nearby; a life far from the coast is unthinkable. Now, I live closer to the sea than ever. Every day, I walk along the beach or climb the high dunes that protect my village — dunes that, coincidentally or not, are the highest in the Netherlands. I won’t go home until I’ve seen the sea.
Alternatively, The Milky Way in Amsterdam. I worked there as a night manager during my student years. I saw great bands there, and still do, I met the father of my children, and also my current husband. So, delete your dating apps and head to the Milky Way.
What is your greatest fear? The sea! This may seem paradoxical given my previous answer, but the very idea of a dark deep sea and raging waves terrifies me. I suppose this has to do with my earliest memory: my world suddenly went dark. My mother later told me that at that moment, she had just managed to grab me by one of my hands and pull me back up from the water. It could have ended differently — my mother can’t swim. My fear and awe of deep waters never went away. I recently found out this fear has a name: thalassofobia.
What is your most treasured possession? The diary my dad kept in 1955, which I found after his death. It recounts his experience of seeing my mother for the first time. In the two weeks that followed, he describes how he tried to meet her, how he wooed her, and how he kissed her for the first time—how he fell in love with her. My mum later provided her photos to illustrate this story, which, to me, is obviously the Mother of all Love Stories.
What advice would you give to your younger self? Go to art school instead of university
If you could study any subject, what would it be? I would love to learn Japanese, so I could feel a little less like an elephant in a china shop next time I’m in Japan.
What currently inspires you?
BOOK – State of Emergency, Max Pinckers et al (2024)
This amazing project and photobook revisits the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya by documenting stories from surviving veterans, blending contemporary photographs with archival material to provide a more nuanced view of history. Pinckers engages the veterans in staged reenactments of key moments from their struggle, allowing them to relive and narrate their own experiences, which were previously omitted or marginalized by colonial records. Through these visual and narrative layers, the book challenges colonial histories, presenting the Mau Mau as central figures in their nation’s fight for independence and making a compelling case for reparations and recognition.
FILM
I’m still waiting to see a film that impresses me more than the one I’ve seen most often: Apocalypse Now, Coppola’s magnum opus in which he aimed to give his audience an experience that makes them feel the horror, madness and moral dilemmas of the Vietnam War in their cinema seats. I’ve recently seen it for the umpteenth time and not a single bit feels dated to me. It makes you question the concept of ‘civilization’.
PHOTOZINE
Although I’m a contributor myself and do not mean to self-promote here, it is incredibly inspiring to work with the photographers and artists forming the editorial team of a new photozine called Fotolini. It is created by the designer and co-founder of Dog Food, the underground zine that will stop at its peak this year, now that it will be honoured at the MoMA. Fotolini presents vintage photography with contemporary relevance and a dose of irony. It’s for people who love paper magazines and uncommon vintage photography, sometimes with an unexpected modern counterpart. The issue features a remarkable lonely-hearts section. The theme is Love, much needed in the world right now.
TV SHOW
This summer, I’ve succumbed for the first time to a Dutch reality show called B&B Vol Liefde (in English: B&B Full of Love) which combines five reality show formats (that I’ve always avoided). It lays bare the best and the sad in mankind. The main thing is: everyone in Holland watches it, so people now talk about it to any random stranger in any random queue. It connects people in a way that even the national football team can’t.
MUSIC
As the theme of the first Fotolini issue is Love, I’ve been listening to some unusual love songs lately. Artist Esther Zitman compiled a Fotolini Spotify playlist, consisting of songs that have the same titles as the articles. I very much enjoy her combination of hard-to-avoid hits, cheesy love songs and obscure finds.
Hedy van Erp is a Dutch photo historian, author and curator of photography and video art. She develops exhibitions and concepts for museums, galleries and photo festivals. She has curated exhibitions for, among others, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam; Photo Museum The Hague, the English National Media Museum; the Science Museum, London; the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Museum Kranenburgh, the National Maritime Museum and the Hermitage in Amsterdam. Supported by the Mondriaan Fund, Van Erp researched Dutch photo archives in private collections in 2023.
Hedy is curating the first retrospective exhibition of the work of Herbert Shergold, to be on display at The Launderette throughout the festival. She will also be discussing the research behind the exhibition as part of The World A Wave Festival Symposium.
