‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want’: Paul Kooiker photographs the students of Gerrit Rietveld Academie for Acne Studios

Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker’s work is unmistakable. Charged with a vague air of the unsettling, his black and white images feel suspended from time itself, as if they could have been shot 60 years ago or just yesterday. Preferring to hone in on body parts rather than faces, figures are abstracted into sculptural forms, limbs rove freely from their owners, and cult fashion items are captured with a cinematic suggestion of kink (Kooiker is drawn to textures like shiny rubber, scratchy hair, and skin-pricking sharp points). The artist’s latest project is, given this particular world, a little surprising.

Opening at the Palais Royal today (26 June), it sees the photographer turn his camera on 42 students from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, where he taught photography for 25 years (up until fashion work took over in 2020). Titled ‘2025’, the project marks new territory for Kooiker in two ways – it focuses on a specific moment in time, unlike the eerie timelessness of his broader practice; and it features myriad faces, marking his most extensive portraiture work to date. It was the result of a commission by Acne Studios’ magazine offshoot, Acne Paper, marking the first exhibition hosted within its new permanent gallery space, Acne Paper Palais Royal.

Paul Kooiker turns his lens on 42 art students for the launch of Acne Studios’ new gallery space, Acne Paper Palais Royal

‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want,’ Kooiker says, speaking over video call just hours after finishing installing the show. ‘I think that's quite strong from a brand, to give that kind of challenge to artists. What I like about Acne Studios is that it's very broad in its thinking – its approach to culture, music, art, design, and, of course, fashion. I enjoyed that this didn’t have to be related to fashion or to the brand itself. It’s just a private project.’

The urge to create something rooted in the present, Kooiker says, came as a response to the heightened and difficult times we’re living through. He wanted to mark this year by capturing the faces of young artists who are bravely pursuing their dreams in the face it all. ‘It was important for me to pay tribute to people who choose to go to an art school at a time like this,’ he explains. ‘That’s also why I chose Rietveld for this project. It’s an international school, people come from everywhere, and it’s known for its anarchistic way of teaching. Students really have to do it themselves.’

After five years away from the university, Kooiker returned to its halls over a series of days, selecting art students at random to shoot in corridors and classrooms. ‘I didn't have a discussion before about who they are or what they study,’ he says of the impulsive process. ‘Afterwards, I would have a little talk with them about which department they are in and what they are doing. But before it was a very quick decision to make a portrait. It's kind of a way of working that I love. I think you get something very honest.’

Gathered side by side in rows, the resulting images recall the feeling of a yearbook or school portraiture. It’s a kind of photograph that feels universal – one that we’ve all likely sat for before – where bright eyed portraits capture the tender point just before adulthood, and everything still lies ahead. ‘I liked playing with this kind of tradition,’ says Kooiker of the format, which he has approached in his arresting, black and white style. ‘These images are always kind of amazing, because they’re so innocent in a way. It's something special.’

When it came to curating the space at the Palais Royal, Kooiker started by requesting the gallery paint the walls a specific tone of grey. It’s the same shade that coats the halls of the university, made famous by its namesake architect, Gerrit Rietveld. ‘It's kind of strange for an art school,’ he says. ‘But his idea was that grey is not finished. Black is a finished colour and so is white – but grey, things can still change. I’ve always thought that was a beautiful idea.’

Guests filled the space yesterday evening for the show’s preview, finding a grounding moment amid the spectacles of the Paris men’s schedule. Forty-two faces gazed into the busy room, frozen in expressions of fresh-faced possibility, defiance and hope, despite the uncertainty of the world they will soon step into. ‘What I hope is that these faces return to you a few days after the show, that maybe it kind of stays in your head after you leave,’ says Kooiker at the end of our call. ‘It's a big thing to ask, but I hope it makes a lasting impression.’

2025 by Paul Kooiker is on view at Acne Paper Palais Royal until 27 July 2025

Read more news in our live reports from Paris Fashion Week Men’s, and our round-up of the shows