Robin Joris Dullers

Revolution

They Live For No Boundaries

What inspired you to get into photography?

It’s a funny story. I started taking photos when the first social network platform, Netlog, came online. I created self-portraits, back when selfies weren’t even a thing… Can you imagine a world without them today?

The process of making those photos made me who I am today. The core of my work, perhaps, is getting emotionally attached to a person, or a moment. It’s not only how you capture something that’s important, but also what’s behind the image.

Honestly, ever since I got a very simple small digital camera as a gift for my first communion (today I’m not so Christian anymore), I never looked back. And before you know, it’s 2022…

Did you have any influential role models?

My inspiration comes from everywhere, but today I have many. Especially rebels and people who are a little crazy inspire me. Not only photographers, like Loui Banks (who lives a very extravagant lifestyle) or Brett Loyd, or Miranda Makaroff, but also models that don’t take this business too seriously.

What is your creative process and what are the most important things you keep in mind when beginning a new project?

Hmm, do I have a creative process, besides sleeping and thinking too much? To be honest, it’s a long time ago I made some personal work. For me, new projects are mostly about meeting new people that inspire me and trying to tell their story because I find beauty in it or a detail that attracts me. A creative process can just be following your heart and eyes in the moment (which has always worked for me). If I’m too prepared for something, I just end up making more mistakes than when I’m living in the moment. And that’s what life is all about, isn’t it?

 Are there any recurring themes you like to address within your work?

Mostly, what I think about reflected in my work as a theme. Like diversity, for example. That was never a thing I needed to focus on, because it just breathes who I am. It’s translated in who my clients are and the work I do. The main focuses in my work always reflect my world, which is similar to reality. I try to capture the beautiful sides of this world, inclusivity, but in a realistic way.

Of course I’m gayyyy, but I focus more on the true meaning of that word, which is happiness.

Going back to my work ‘Revolution’. I received some backlash on it. People called it ‘anti-system’. I always want to think about the next step. Five years ago, I was already pushing my word out there, about how we work as society. How politics are organized today, isn’t functioning as it should be.

In an article with Cuture, I said “Belgium is too white”. I want to make statements with my work. Admittedly, I haven’t made personal work in a long time. Maybe because of the confusion and noise regarding what is right and wrong. I think, nowadays, there isn’t a right or left and that makes it very difficult to find a ‘middle’ (statement).

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I think it’s mainly the moment when I realize, ‘Wow, I’m not just doing a job, but I’m living my dream’. For real. I can’t do anything besides holding a camera in my hand (and dicks, of course).

Occasionally while working, something triggers me to cry (yeah I’m serious). My backstage work in Paris was, and still is, a big dream for me. Now, working backstage in-house for brands that I respect so much, it makes me drop a tear sometimes. These are the moments I enjoy the most, because I can feel it in my heart. This are the moments in my life I work for.

What advice would you give to artists starting out or to those artists who are struggling with creative blocks?

Don’t look too much at others, just trust your vision and taste, and try! The more you do, the more you know what you want.