The visual artist Bob Jonkers explores the challenges of understanding identity beyond the boundaries of societal norms and values. His work carries a distinct plea for vulnerability and intimacy, yet it also acknowledges the uncertainty of whether such openness will ever find acceptance. The subjects in his paintings - both human and non-human - wrestle with the tension of belonging in a world where identity is increasingly curated and stylized, creating a context in which the value of existence often appears contingent upon external validation.

Jonkers keeps his practice deeply personal; many of his works are self-portraits, and he often documents fleeting moments from his immediate environment as metaphors for the transience of everyday life. Through this approach, he invites viewers to reflect on their own questions of belonging: what we choose to conceal, what we long to reveal, and what lingers in the uncertain space between. In doing so, his paintings implicitly challenge the illusion of a fixed identity, embracing instead the fluid, vulnerable, and often ambiguous nature of what it means to be and to belong.