Lessons from Departure: An Evening at the Foundation Academy of Amsterdam
Last night, 8 September, I joined the Foundation Academy of Amsterdam for the opening of its academic year and graduation ceremony. I was there to introduce Lessons from Departure: After Arrival, a new chapter of my ongoing portraiture and storytelling project, and to celebrate the people whose stories helped bring these paintings into being.
What stayed with me when I woke up this morning was the Academy’s belief that education should not be limited to those who can afford it. Being there, celebrating the graduates and recognising the commitment behind their achievements, gave that belief a very human presence.
Completing a course takes time, energy and determination. Finding room for learning when so much else in life remains uncertain deserves recognition. It was moving to see the faces I have spent so much time working on in the studio, and to share an evening that celebrated their achievements and the possibilities ahead of them.
A project on the road
Lessons from Departure has taken us across the Netherlands, from Den Helder to Maastricht, through Hengelo and Groningen, and to Rotterdam, Leiden and Vlissengen. Conceived with COA, the project brings together portraiture and personal testimony to explore migration, displacement and belonging.
As the work travels, we are always looking for ways to bring these stories to new audiences. Each encounter offers another opportunity to spend time with the person behind words such as “migrant,” “refugee” or “asylum seeker”: to hear about their experiences, their skills, their relationships and what they hope to make possible.
After Arrival grew out of an evening at the Foundation Academy around two months ago. In the same room where we gathered last night, participants shared migration stories they had developed as part of their Human Rights coursework.
I was touched by their stories, the thought they had given to telling them, and their willingness to share. Their determination to continue learning while living with uncertainty stayed with me. I recognised a connection with the work already taking shape in my studio and wanted to get involved.
Six portraits grew from that encounter.
Meeting again through painting
There is something particular about spending so much time working on a person’s portrait. Their face becomes familiar through the small decisions of making: looking, fragmenting, layering, reconstructing and painting. Seeing that person again, in the company of those celebrating their achievements, brings the work back to the relationship from which it began.
I make these portraits through a process I call Remix, using photographic images taken from different angles. The resulting paintings invite a second look. As your attention moves across the image, your perception can shift, revealing something you did not notice at first.
Each portrait features a prominent eye. For me, it speaks to what a person has witnessed, what they are experiencing now, and what they might yet see. It also invites a meeting: a moment of looking closely enough to become curious about another person.
Beside each painting is a story. I hope people will give themselves time to read it, then return to the portrait and see what has changed in their understanding.
These stories continue beyond the frame. Graduation is an important moment in them, and last night was an opportunity to pause and recognise how much had already been accomplished.
Supporting the work of the Academy
My thanks go to everyone who entrusted us with their time and stories, and to the Foundation Academy, especially Jennifer and Samuel Lee, for welcoming the project and helping make this collaboration possible.
The six After Arrival portraits are my studio’s donation in support of the Academy’s work. They are available to purchase, with 100% of the money going directly to the Foundation Academy of Amsterdam.
If you would like to purchase one of the donated artworks from the exhibition, please get in touch with the Foundation Academy via email office@foundation.eu.com
You can also explore Lessons from Departure: After Arrival here: and spend time with the portraits and stories behind this collaboration.
To the graduates: congratulations, and thank you for letting me share in your evening.