Dutch photographer Esther Hovers’ conceptual practice explores how politics, policing and other power structures play out in the design and use of public space, and in urban landscapes more broadly. We first got to know Esther through her graduation project “False Positives,” a series of photos taken around Brussels’ business district that emulated the gaze of surveillance cameras. With “False Positives,” Esther offered up a critique of the unnerving surveillance systems that have become a part of the fabric of urban life. In 2017, Esther was the winner of the Edward Steichen Award, and her work has been exhibited at the Aperture Foundation in New York, Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam, and the Lianzhou Foto Festival.
Stories with Esther Hovers