Born and raised in Amsterdam, Michael Floor picked up photography a few years ago. In 2012, he graduated from the Photo Academy, with a specialization in documentary photography. His art is a way of meeting people whom otherwise would have remained outside the realm of his social interactions. With two small kids he considers myself a family man most of the time, but has a tendency to look to the darker side when it comes to his creative inspiration. This intimate series focuses on Peter, a man with a past embedded in crime and drugs, living a second life in the French countryside.
Peter is a master of survival. He ran away from a children’s home when he was only twelve and lived on the streets of Amsterdam. He started selling drugs and using heroin as a kid. Bullied as a young boy, he picked up martial arts and made a career as criminal enforcer and bodyguard of the most notorious gangster in the Netherlands. Once feared by rivalling criminals, Peter stepped out and now lives a withdrawn, somewhat lonely life in a dark trailer near Amsterdam.
But Peter, 63 now, still has dreams. He’s got a surprising second hangout: he owns a small farmhouse in the south of France. This is where he usually spends the summer months between hardworking farmers and emptying villages. In France, he stays off hard drugs and kicks off his lethargy. He wants to start a life as a self-sufficient farmer here.
See more of Michael Floor's work on his website.
