Mon 21st of June 2010 – Prins Maurits Basisschool

A week ago I was in Tate Modern where the Exposure exhibition about candid photography is on. It was very busy and I spotted a mother with her child hanging around her neck and yawning. As I tried to take a picture with my little camera a man who works in Tate loudly came to me and shouted: "That is not your child. You have to ask the mother permission before you can take a picture!!" I got quite angry, waited for the manager and told her he should perhaps work in a prison instead of a museum of modern art. I also pointed out how ironic it was considering the current exhibition.  She kept apologizing and calmed me down, but it did point out how over the last 5 or ten years an atmosphere has developed where every man and especially every man with a camera is first a potential pedophile and then whatever else. This picture was taken in 2004 when I was still at the Art Academy and I went back to my primary school to photograph the kids there. No one looked at me weird and I took some great shots :-)