WHO I AM - JACOB COSTA

My life

01

First years

Portugal - Alferece

As the youngest son of a hardworking factory worker and mother of six, it wasn’t expected that young Jacob would turn to arts. The family lived on a tight budget and there was no money to send the children to study, let alone a study like arts.
02

First art

Portugal - Alferece

Jacob used to be a quiet and introverted boy. When his brothers and sisters were busy running around the house or fighting again he would go to his room and be by himself. He would take out his pens and pencils and would draw for hours on end. He experimented with all kinds of styles and designs. From portraits of people he met that day to abstract drawings of landscapes in his home village.
03

On his own

Portugal - Lisbon

Right before the turn of the century Jacob decided to follow his dream. He packed his bags and went to the big city of Lisbon to discover his inner artist. He knew he would meet other artist and even had the option to study at the university of arts. He just needed some money. So the first years in Lisbon revolved around earning enough money to save for his study and to pay his bills. Because of his full agenda the original reason for his move to Lisbon, the arts, moved further to the background.
04

Saskia

Netherlands - Leiden

At the start of 2004 Jacob met Saskiade Vries, a Dutch girl who was traveling around Portugal during her gap year. Saskia bought a cup of coffee at the local bar where Jacob worked. They hit it off from the start. When they knew they wanted to share their lives together the difficult decision came where the home base should be. They decided to move to the city of Leiden in the Netherlands and build up their lives there. With the help of Saskia’s father Jacob started as an assistant at his company and he could learn the Dutch language at the same time.
05

Second phase

Netherlands - Leiden

Next to his work as an assistant Saskia sparked Jacobs’ creativity. She convinced him to pick up his arts again. This time he had some small successes and pieces from that time ended up in some private collections.
06

Children and the third phase

Netherlands - Leiden

In 2011 Terra was born followed by Senna in 2013. As with all new parents their lives were turned upside down. Busy times and times where you also need to find some inner peace. In this phase Jacob turned his art into more digital forms. And because children give you a totally new perspective on the world: “The world doesn't revolve around you”. This led him to focus more on social-cultural art projects.
07

Project Dick

Netherlands - Leiden

With his latest project Jacob addresses the issue of sexual unacceptable behavior in the digital world. He tries to do this with in a light hearted way in the form of his creation Dick. His hope for the future is that the only Dick Pics Terra and Senna will receive in the future are the ones from his project.

Project Dick

Dick

Dick is a 54 year old geography teacher. He still lives in his family home in Emmen together with his mother. Dick’s father died at a young age. Partially because of that, Dick has a tight bond with his mother, Margot.

Dick is a beloved teacher at the school where he works. His colleagues and students have his best interest at heart. Dick is always cheerful, friendly and honest. The people around him love his personality trades... And they think he is a little naive.

Dick’s colleagues tried to set him up for a blind date on multiple occasions. That never resulted in a success. Dick often jokes he never found someone who can cook as good as his mother.

On the weekends or during holidays Dick likes to go on so-called “Adventures”. On the weekends he goes on short weekend trips. And during one of his longer holidays (which you have a lot of as a teacher) he travels all over the world. He often travels by himself but sometimes he joins holiday trips for singles.

When 5 years ago, Margot's health declined and she couldn’t leave the house, Dick made a decision. He chose to take Margot “with him” on his travels. He does this by taking selfies during his adventures and gives them to her.

Margot turned all these pictures into a large, categorized collection. She filled multiple photo albums and each got its own title: Dick Pics - [Series name].

Margot's albums are not only to be seen in their house in Emmen. She started to digitize the whole collection for all to see. The first album Dick Pics - Around the world is now available for free! So everyone can see, and use.

So do you want to surprise someone with a great Dick Pic? Send them one of mother Margot’s collection!