Pie Aerts (b. 1985) is a Dutch photographer based in Haarlem. His work examines and questions the intricate and often melancholic relationship between people and place, in an attempt to explain why we seem increasingly disconnected from each other, ourselves, and the environment that sustains us. By offering nuanced and personal perspectives on memory, longing and human resilience, he explores how cultural identity is deeply intertwined with the natural landscapes we inhabit. In doing so, he consistently chooses to prioritize hope over despair. 'As long as I can remember, I've always feared being alone. Partly in a physical sense, but mostly in a deeper existential sense. Spending time in the presence of these puesteros, while seeing them sit through a life of silence, hardship and endurance, I started to open up to a different perspective on the silence I've always feared. As a result, and for the first time in two decades of self-discovery, I'm starting to embrace the idea that some of my fears have perhaps shaped who I am far more than I ever realised.' - Pie Aerts

Pie Aerts (b. 1985) is a Dutch photographer based in Haarlem. His work examines and questions the intricate and often melancholic relationship between people and place, in an attempt to explain why we seem increasingly disconnected from each other, ourselves, and the environment that sustains us. By offering nuanced and personal perspectives on memory, longing and human resilience, he explores how cultural identity is deeply intertwined with the natural landscapes we inhabit. In doing so, he consistently chooses to prioritize hope over despair. 'As long as I can remember, I've always feared being alone. Partly in a physical sense, but mostly in a deeper existential sense. Spending time in the presence of these puesteros, while seeing them sit through a life of silence, hardship and endurance, I started to open up to a different perspective on the silence I've always feared. As a result, and for the first time in two decades of self-discovery, I'm starting to embrace the idea that some of my fears have perhaps shaped who I am far more than I ever realised.' - Pie Aerts

Pie Aerts (b. 1985) is a Dutch photographer based in Haarlem. His work examines and questions the intricate and often melancholic relationship between people and place, in an attempt to explain why we seem increasingly disconnected from each other, ourselves, and the environment that sustains us. By offering nuanced and personal perspectives on memory, longing and human resilience, he explores how cultural identity is deeply intertwined with the natural landscapes we inhabit. In doing so, he consistently chooses to prioritize hope over despair. 'As long as I can remember, I've always feared being alone. Partly in a physical sense, but mostly in a deeper existential sense. Spending time in the presence of these puesteros, while seeing them sit through a life of silence, hardship and endurance, I started to open up to a different perspective on the silence I've always feared. As a result, and for the first time in two decades of self-discovery, I'm starting to embrace the idea that some of my fears have perhaps shaped who I am far more than I ever realised.' - Pie Aerts