Origins

Purple passport may have been born out of my passion to tell people stories. But it has taken on its own shape with time, growing into a global tale with each contribution.

Having grown up in a small town with absolutely no one to look up to, I had to come up with a way to channel my angst, emotions and troubles with my gender identity. It took me 3 degrees, 3 languages and a considerable amount of heartbreak to come to the realization that I don’t need others to justify my existence. It was only then that I could finally genuinely listen to what people had to say. And once I started doing that, I knew I had to spread the joy of my newfound wisdom. It was as if I had found a new name, a new city and a new self.

Why the name Purple Passport?

After having painted a few portraits and sharing them over socials, I’ve set up a website and started publishing new stories. It was then time to pick an identity for this little project of mine. But I have always been a color person, so I picked a color before the name: Purple, as in wisdom. I then decided to add Passport right next to it. Not because it rhymes, but because passports have also to do with our sense of self while they almost always contain a photo of yourself that looks absolutely nothing like you.

The irony is mesmerising.

Think about it, if you were to know people just from their passport photos, you wouldn’t recognise anybody even if your life depended on it. You simply can’t get to know people on paper. People stories need to be told.

Purple Passport is my way of doing that.

See the artworks at our Amsterdam exhibition.