Sander Coers

“Post” explores the intersection of constructed memories and perceptions of masculinity in visual culture through the use of AI-generated imagery. With this project, I aim to investigate the role of photography in shaping our perceptions of the past and question its authenticity in the age of digitalism where memories can be constructed and manipulated.

As a child, I spent hours immersed in my grandparents’ photo albums, fascinated by the details in each picture. In those albums, I discovered a part of my heritage tied to my grandfather’s birth in Indonesia during World War II. But there was a silence surrounding the past, making it difficult to grasp the full story.

To bridge that gap, I decided to train an AI bot to expand my family history based on my grandparents’ photo albums, spanning from the 1940’s to the 1990’s. These AI-generated images evoke similar elements found in my grandparents’ albums – landscapes, clothing, and colors from that time. However, everything is completely false.

Bio: Sander Coers is an artist working with photography based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His work balances between documentary and fiction while challenging their respective borders & interconnections. With a tender gaze, he seeks to establish new perspectives on masculinity by visualizing, recontextualizing, and (de)constructing memories. The recurring theme of coming-of-age permeates his work, as he reflects on stories of love, friendship, and self-discovery drawn from his family, friends, and peers.
Fascinated by the ability of vacation photos to transmit stories throughout generations, Coers explores the romanticized notions of the past instilled in these images. His visual style emulates these photos through deeply saturated colors and nostalgic scenes, infusing his portraits, stills, and landscapes with profound emotions.