#fun

2015 – present

The moment a camera appears, something switches. Smiles widen, poses form, joy becomes demonstrable. It happens almost automatically: a Pavlovian reflex so ingrained that most people don't notice they're doing it.

Dekker notices. And stays put.

Where Dekker's portraits show people who have no need to perform, #fun looks at the reflex in everyone else. It is a long-term series in which Dekker inserts himself into everyday situations as a neutral, expressionless presence. He does not pose. He does not react. While those around him instinctively perform for the lens, Dekker remains still, and in doing so transforms that instinct into something visible, almost absurd.

He has since taken the work one step further. Dekker had a mask made of his own deadpan face, complete with his long blond hair, and invites others to wear it. The figure who refuses to perform becomes the role everyone else steps into: an invitation to let the moment be what it is.