In the Dutch foster care system, violent 'methods' were systematically employed to reshape the 'child of failed parents' into a 'proper citizen.' This process often demanded the total erasure of origin: a forced and brutal detachment from biological parents, family, and heritage.

These methods targeted not only the mind through dehumanization and severe humiliation but also the body through systematic physical violence. In my case, my birth gender was weaponized as a tool to dismantle my core identity. I was subjected to extreme gender-based violence targeting body - parts as a deliberate means to break my spirit.

Long-term, state-sanctioned gender violence is one of the most complex and destructive forms of abuse. Its lasting consequences remain largely unrecognized by both the general public and mental health organizations, leaving survivors to navigate the profound fractures of their identity without support or a roadmap for recovery.

RECLAIMING THE BODY AS BOY (AND NOT MAN)

In this archive, I use my 64-year-old body as a canvas to reconstruct the 11-year-old boy I was before the system attempted to forcibly erase him.