BIO

Amy Opstal (b.1996, NL) is a Dutch artist based in The Hague, Netherlands. Her work explores taboos and problems in society. Through documentary photography, Amy captures the essence of reality by focusing on unlikely subjects in their vulnerable state—women in the middle of giving birth, a person with a disability and illness, and LGBTQIA parents. She shows the banality of pain, otherness, and discomfort; in the attempt to normalize them and to question and change public perceptions.Her creative process is not as quick as taking snap images. She collaborates with her subjects and creates a safe space for them to exchange and be comfortable. Even when it takes a long time to build a relationship, she believes it is the key to creating a deeper connection with the people she captures. Her ongoing project, The Parent Act, explores the inequality for LGBTQIA parents who choose to create a family through surrogacy. She challenges the lack of legislation for LGBTQIA parents who want equal opportunity to the radical forms of procreation.