When a baby is born, the first question is: is it a boy or a girl? A boy receives blue clothes, a girl receives pink. Different colors, different toys, different messages whispered in their ears. Is that still applicable in this day and age where the line between male and female starts to fade? Let us consider everyone independent of their gender (or color or beliefs).

PATRICE. 10,8 x 6,3 cm collage found photos 2019 © Bonnita Postma

In my collages I use unique photographs which I have found, of people I don’t know. The uniqueness of the photographs and the coincidence of finding them, and therefore the limitation of my palette, paradoxically gives me the freedom I seek.

Composition, material, beauty and imperfection are important to me.

By combining roughly-cut or torn parts of photographs from various times, I create a universal, contemporary portrait where gender identity does not play a role.

— Bonnita Postma

Editor’s note: This work was a finalist in the 2020 LensCulture Portrait Awards. Discover the inspiring work of all 39 award-winning photographers selected by this year’s international jury.