Back to the Future - The 19th century in the 21st century
19 January – 28 March 2018
The exhibition opens on Thursday 18 January 2018. You are welcome from 5.30pm onwards.
Opening: foam.org/museum/programme/public-opening
Exhibition Back to the Future: foam.org/museum/programme/back-to-the-future

Back to the Future is an exhibition presenting the work of contemporary artists who use photographic techniques, methods and processes that trace back to those used by nineteenth century photographers. These artists not only draw inspiration from those pioneering years, but also find surprising new ways to continue in that same tradition.
Today, photography’s current state is reminiscent of the early years of the medium, when the discipline had not yet found a definitive, standardised form, and the air was full of experimentation. Photography nowadays is likewise characterised by an open-minded mentality that invites all sorts of disciplinary cross-overs and experiments. There is also an interest in the physical production process and the material qualities of the work. The artists featured in the exhibition use the original principles of photography – light, a photosensitive carrier, emulsion and chemical processes – but they also make use of modern tools such as computers and 3D printers. Their deliberate experimentation results in radically new works of art, in which photography merges with other disciplines such as sculpture and painting. These works echo the techniques and processes discovered by nineteenth-century pioneers and enter into a surprising dialogue.

The exhibition includes work by: Anna Atkins (GB), Sylvia Ballhause (DE), Karl Blossfeldt (DE), Matthew Brandt (US), Alfred Brothers (GB), Henry Brothers (FR), S.W. Burham (US), William England (SCT), Sam Falls (US), Spiros Hadjidjanos (GR), Thomas Hauser (FR), Nicolai Howalt (DK), Adam Jeppesen (DK), Thomas Mailaender (FR), James Nasmyth (SCT), Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs (CH), Johan Österholm (CH), Jaya Pelupessy & Felix van Dam (NL), Lewis M. Rutherford (US), Warren de la Rue (GB), Nils Strindberg (SE), Simon van Til (NL) and several anonymous artists.

Artist Talk Matthew Brandt | 19 January In the opening weekend of the exhibition one of these artists, Matthew Brandt, will be talking about his practice during an Artist Talk, on Friday 19 January from 7pm to 8.30pm. More information: : foam.org/museum/programme/artist-talk-matthew-brandt

The exhibited works are generously lent by the Rijksmuseum, Pinakothek der Moderne / Ann and Jürgen Wilde Foundation, Moderna Museet, The Archive of Modern Conflict, The New Carlsberg Foundation and from various galleries and private lenders.

This exhibition is an initiative by Foam in collaboration with C/O Berlin. An adapted version of the exhibition will be on display at C/O Berlin, Germany, from September to December 2018. Foam thanks Stichting Foam Friends and Foam Fund for their generous support of this exhibition.