Kars Tuinder
Kars Tuinder is a Dutch photographer and filmmaker, celebrated for his compelling documentary work and contemporary art photography. His journey began early, at just 15, when he enrolled at the Photo Academy in the Netherlands, driven by a deep fascination with storytelling through images. Over the past 35 years, Tuinder has built an international career, utilizing visual narratives to highlight social and political issues worldwide.
His work has earned numerous national and international honors, including the Monovisions Photography Award and the National Geographic Public Award Benelux (in the Human category). His photographs have been exhibited globally and featured by renowned platforms such as LensCulture and Life Framer.
Now based in Bangkok, Thailand, where he has lived for the past four years, Tuinder is the founder of Photohostel & Photocafe, a unique creative hub located in the 220-year-old Taiyuan building in Talat Noi, Chinatown, by the Chao Phraya River. This vibrant space combines boutique accommodation, a café, and an art gallery, and regularly hosts exhibitions, photography workshops, and upcoming photo tours.
Tuinder also leads JTKT Productions, managing a wide range of international film projects across Thailand.
His debut as a documentary director and producer tells the extraordinary true story of a 19-year-old Nepali student who earns a scholarship to study in Russia. Just months after arriving, the student is unexpectedly pulled into the war in Ukraine. Armed with a camera, he documents his surreal transformation from student to foreign soldier in the Russian military, capturing a raw and intimate journey of lost innocence, fractured identity, and the desperate will to survive.
Driven by a passion for connecting with communities and telling real stories, Kars Tuinder continues to use photography and film as tools for awareness and empathy.