Martin Roemers

From Saturday, September 27, 2025, Kunsthal Rotterdam presents the exhibition Homo Mobilis, a photographic project by Martin Roemers (born 1962, Oldehove). For years, Roemers portrayed people with their vehicles—from small city cars to roaring trucks, from tuk-tuks to motor scooters. At the Kunsthal, over thirty photographs demonstrate how these vehicles serve not only to get from A to B but also reveal something about status, identity, and the culture from which they originate.

For his project, Roemers travels to cities in the Netherlands, Germany, China, Ukraine, India, Senegal, and the United States. In public spaces, he and his team build a mobile photo studio: a white canvas 12 meters long and 6 meters high that eliminates all visual distractions. This neutral setting emphasizes the person and the vehicle, allowing small details like posture, gaze, and material to speak for themselves.

Portraits of mobility worldwide

In Dakar, Senegal, Roemers photographs car salesmen Aïcha, Yvonne, Fatimata, and Becaya in a bright red Mini Cooper. Zu'en poses with her son on a scooter in Shanghai, and in Bengaluru, India, Hariom and Vinoth pose in front of the lens in their ice cream truck. The colorful and varied images show how mobility varies worldwide, while simultaneously touching on universal themes such as environment, gender, social class, and individuality. For some, a vehicle is purely practical; for others, it's an extension of their identity. The portraits feature just four details: name, occupation, vehicle make, and location—a simple combination that leaves room for the viewer's imagination and personal interpretation.

About Martin Roemers

Martin Roemers (born 1962, Oldehove) studied at the AKI Academy of Fine Arts in Enschede and has worked for years on long-term projects resulting in exhibitions and photo books, including Kabul, Relics of the Cold War, The Eyes of War (on display at the Kunsthal from May 3 to August 24, 2012), and Metropolis. His work has been exhibited in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia, and is included in collections at institutions including the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston), and the Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles). Roemers has won two World Press Photo Awards, in addition to various other honors.