The National Maritime Museum presents Food for Thought; a closer look at the world of our food production by photographer and filmmaker Kadir van Lohuizen. In this exhibition, Van Lohuizen explores through photo and video the origin of our food, and the role of the Netherlands and the shipping industry play in our food system.
Netherlands is the second largest exporter in the world, right after the United States, producing everything from potatoes to cauliflowers, from seeds to tomatoes, from dairy to meat. Since World War II, the Dutch have upheld the motto "Never again hunger", meaning there is always an abundance of food. Despite being a country with limited space, the Netherlands produces food for the world by leading the way in technology, innovation, and efficient food production methods, which is not surprising given the country's reliance on waterways for transportation.
The position of the Netherlands as the second largest exporter inspired photographer and documentary maker Kadir van Lohuizen to investigate the role of the Netherlands in the global food system and its effects. What do we produce here that is so in demand internationally? How can such a small country sustain this level of production? With the innovative nature of farmers and entrepreneurs in this country, what else should we consider? What role does shipping play in this ecosystem? And what are the effects of these production and consumption chains on the planet? And how sustainable is it?
Through the project, Kadir van Lohuizen explores the world behind our food production, where it is produced and how it travels around the world. He manages to be a "fly on the wall" and follow the entire industry responsible for global food production, from calf slaughterhouses to vegetable seed producers, from mega-ships carrying soybean to the Amsterdam port to onions from the polder for the Middle East. He captures all this through photography, film, and drone footage.
Water connects worlds
Why is this exhibition on show in The National Maritime Museum? The shipping industry has defined the transport of food for centuries, with the Netherlands as an important maritime link. The Maritime Museum wants to show how maritime structures from the past continue to influence the world of today and how they can contribute to a sustainable future.
About Kadir van Lohuizen
As a photographer and filmmaker, Kadir van Lohuizen has traveled around the world to observe the global food system through his lens. Who exactly is Kadir and why is he so closely connected to this subject?
Press images
Are you looking for press images by Kadir van Lohuizen from Food for Thought? Click here to download them.
This is a next collaboration between Kadir van Lohuizen and The National Maritime Museum, after the successful exhibition Rising Tide in 2019, which was on display at The National Maritime Museum and later travelled to cities such as New York and Dubai.
Watch the episode of VPRO Tegenlicht: De Voedsel BV (in Dutch) in which Kadir van Lohuizen sets out to find answers to his questions.
Food for Thought is a travelling exhibition. Are you interested in presenting Food for Thought at your institution? Read more.
"Food for Thought" at the National Maritime Museum. Photographer Kadir van Lohuizen explores global food origins and the Dutch impact.