#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.