Portraits of New Neighbors – Podium Oosterwold 2026
Portraits of New Neighbors is a photographic and poetic project developed for Podium Oosterwold 2026, responding to the theme “New Neighbors.” Created by newly arrived artist Hemanth Madupu, currently based in Almere and pursuing a master’s in photography, the project explores how people inhabit, interpret, and emotionally construct the idea of home within a rapidly evolving landscape.
Rooted in portraiture and collaborative storytelling, the work brings together residents of Almere through intimate photographic encounters paired with poetic texts developed in collaboration with poet Sjaan Flikweert (www.sjaanflikweert.nl). Each portrait becomes a shared space where image and language meet, allowing personal histories, migrations, and everyday gestures to surface as fragments of a collective narrative.
The project features portraits of four participants: Willemien, the Bami family, Christiana and Ro. Each encounter reflects a different way of arriving, settling, and belonging.
Willemien offers a perspective grounded in continuity and rootedness, revealing how memory and land intertwine over time.
The Bami family brings a layered, shared experience of living together, where domestic life becomes a space of cultural exchange, care, and adaptation.
Christiana’s story unfolds through questions of movement and transition, navigating between past and present landscapes.
Ro’s portrait speaks to individual reflection and quiet observation of place.
Together, these portraits form a constellation of voices that reflect the diverse and evolving identity of Almere.
Presented as a series of photographic prints accompanied by poetic texts, the work invites viewers into an intimate archive of encounters. It reflects Podium Oosterwold’s role as a vital platform for artists and communities to come together, fostering dialogue and creating space for new artistic voices within Almere’s expanding cultural landscape.
