Cyprian Broekhuis was only 23 years old. In 2016, he was fatally injured by excessive police violence during a compulsory admission. A day later, he succumbs to his injuries. It is the tragic end of Cyprian’s four-year psychosis. The case, which is receiving a lot of media attention, only raises questions. The exact circumstances never come to light.
The quiet and gentle Cyprian loved walking and often went out in his last years of life. With his camera, he wandered through his hometown of Amsterdam. Hundreds of photos were taken by Cyprian, who chose Cy Benjamin as a pseudonym for his photographic work. The images show his curiosity about the world around him. They show an uninhibited view. Everything is an image, beauty and ugliness. Photographer and author Hans Aarsman writes in his take on the book: ‘A genuine liberation. True, unadulterated viewing.’
A selection of his work has been collected in the beautiful publication ‘De wereld van Cy Benjamin, nagelaten foto’s van Cyprian Benjamin Broekhuis’ (The World of Cy Benjamin. Bequeathed photographs of Cyprian Benjamin Broekhuis). The design does justice to the eclictic character of the photography. This book is a moving monument, a tribute to a life that ended far too soon.
