Willem Popelier
works with photography
As visual artist and photographer, Willem Popelier is intrigued by how society treats photography and how it affects people. He makes work that emphasises, researches and questions how photos are commonly used. Thus his focus is mostly on popular culture, the ubiquitous image and its effects on society.
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Your Weekly President at Aleksander Tutsek Stiftung
The installation Your Weekly President is exhibited at the Aleksander Tutsek Stiftung in Munich, from 16 October 2026 – 25 February 2027, in the group show Photography in Flux.
News Archive
Selected work
Your weekly president
A contemplative reflection on Barack Obama's 8 years in office as US president.
Ephemeral photographs
Investigating photography as a volatile medium.
Paris error
Documenting abstract and elusive feelings of the Paris terror attacks.
The do-it-yourselfie guide
Re-enaction of the most famous selfies on earth for the ultimate selfie guide.
En Vogue
Analytical view on the visual language of covers of fashion magazines.
Bruno dash Dutch
Portrayal of Bruno, right after his nationality turned from a dash into Dutch.
Inside Obama's compound
One transposed word and the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and US president is declared dead.
Obscured classified document (situation room)
Emphasising Hillary Clinton's pixelated document in the iconic Situation room picture.
The Osama papers
The visualisation of the death of Osama bin Laden in newspapers worldwide.
Showroom girls
The phenomenon of digital narcissism visualised by tracing two anonymous girls.
Showroom
A selection from thousands of anonymous selfies taken from showroom computers in stores.
This is me & this is me
The act of identifying in private images of an identical twin.
Visual proof of my existence
Collecting as much visual proof of being somewhere without bringing your own camera.
███ and Willem. Documentation of a youth
Questioning modern family relationships and how identity is perceived through photography.
Rejected identities
Focusing on the confrontation between personal identity and obligatory identification photography.
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Contact
mail[at]willempopelier.nl
+31(0)6 41 31 03 76
Bio
Willem Popelier is a visual artist and photographer, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He is intrigued by how society treats photography and how it affects people. He makes work that emphasises, researches and questions how photos are commonly used. Thus his focus is mostly on popular culture, the ubiquitous image and its effects on society.
His work is exhibited worldwide, published in magazines such as C Photo and Foam Magazine, awarded with several prizes including a C/O Berlin Talent, a Bronze Medal for Best Book Design from all over the World, and nominated for the ICP Infinity Award and the Prix Pictet, among others. His work is included in the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography.
Willem Popelier is tutor and co-course leader at the department of Photography at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and regularly gives lectures and workshops addressing the ubiquitous image, selfies, the role and implementation of artistic research, and more.