It Matters (or Pieces of Europe) is a long-term photography project that began in 2016. In this series, I capture moments that I recognize in my fellow human beings—experiences common to all of us, such as love, play, growing up, loss, and the need for connection. These universal elements of human existence can be found everywhere, in everyone.
Several times a year, I travel to destinations in Central and Eastern Europe. For this project, I have photographed in countries including Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, among others.
Once I arrive, I work closely with locals to find a way into their communities. It is very important to me to approach them as an equal, not as a Western outsider simply taking photographs. I build bonds with the people I portray by spending weeks, sometimes months, with them. I often return after my initial visit or stay in touch online. Through this long-term connection, I come to understand their personalities and discover the moments when they are at their most beautiful, vulnerable, or pure. It is at these times that the most meaningful photographs are created.
The series is ongoing and will culminate in a book of the same name, to be published in 2026.
Traveling is inseparable from my practice. It is a way to discover who I am. By going to other places, I seek out what connects us. It also reminds me to be grateful for the simple things in life—things we often take for granted in the West.
Jan Janssen
As a social photographer, Jan Janssen (Dutch b.1963) captures the moments he recognises in his fellow human beings, especially those elsewhere in the world. In everyday moments, he finds the same needs, insecurities or pleasures that all people enjoy in their lives - albeit to different degrees.
Travelling is inseparable from Janssen photographic practice. On the one hand, travelling is an opportunity to discover who you are yourself. By travelling to other places, Jan seeks precisely the things we have in common. In a world of polarisation and contrasts, sometimes even on one continent, Janssen settles geographical and symbolic boundaries by photographing people in a pure essence. He photographs the richness of our most basic human needs, like freedom, family and security - or, conversely, the absence of their obviousness. To create his photographs, Janssen works on location for long periods of time. He often returns to the same place during subsequent trips. Here he builds a bond with the local people, a bond based on mutual respect and dignity. This photographing with a free heart allows him to get as close to people as possible. Only in this way can he penetrate to the essence of their being, and then capture it on camera.
www.janjanssenfotografie.nl
@janjanssenart
All about Jan Janssen
