 Sakir Khader is a Palestinian-Dutch visual artist. The exhibition Yawm al-firak / يَوْم الْفِرَاق (Farewell Day) honours the fallen under Israeli occupation since the Nakba (1948), highlighting the universal theme of bidding farewell. Khader’s unique and intimate access to Palestinian society allows him to capture the raw reality of conflict and loss in all of its facets.
Khader's recent photographs and installations go beyond conventional artistic boundaries and challenge the… more Foam is proud to present the exhibition Father by artist Diana Markosian. This is the first time the exhibition is shown in its entirety. Father traces Markosian’s journey of reconnecting with her estranged father through documentary photography, family snapshots, and archival materials. more a retrospectiveFoam is proud to present a major retrospective exhibition of the celebrated American artist Saul Leiter (1923–2013). Leiter is seen as one of the most important photographers of the 1950’s in the United States and a pioneer of colour photography. The exhibition An Unfinished World brings together over 200 works, consisting of photography, both black-and-white and colour, as well as his abstract paintings. His eclectic oeuvre reveals a practice using shadow, light, and reflections to cra… more Foam 3h presents Terror of Beauty, the first solo museum exhibition by artist Sarah Amrani. With her work, Amrani explores the complex relationship between technology, culture and beauty standards. The multimedial exhibition invites visitors to think critically about how our perception of beauty and identity is shaped in the digital age.
more Foam presents Meet the Artist, an exhibition that offers an intimate glimpse into the life and work of one of the Netherlands’ most renowned portrait photographers, Koos Breukel. The exhibition showcases an overview of his career, focusing on the people who have significantly influenced his development as both a photographer and a person.
In a live studio with Koos Breukel himself, visitors can engage in conversation or even have their portrait taken by the artist. By placing the interaction… more Photo prints available from the exhibition
Foam Editions: shop.foam.orgFoam celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of renowned Dutch photographer Paul Huf with a retrospective, Golden Years. Huf emerged as a leading figure in the fields of advertising, fashion, and portrait photography during the 1950s, and was innovative with his use of colour. Notably, Paul Huf played a crucial role in the establishment of Foam Photography Museum Amsterdam, co-founding the institution in 2001. more Foam presents West Side Stories, a solo exhibition by photographer Pim Ras, located at MAQAM
in the heart of Amsterdam West. The exhibition celebrates the football players who capture the essence of the Kolenkit neighborhood, highlighting stories that start on local playgrounds and rise to international acclaim.
Beyond celebrating athletic talent, West Side Stories pays homage to the enduring spirit of the community. It illustrates how the streets of West have molded champions and how each gen… more Foam is thrilled to present the first large-scale retrospective of the Dutch fashion photographer and artist Viviane Sassen in the Netherlands. The exhibition PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion, which comprises more than 200 works, reveals over thirty years of her multifaceted career bringing together photography, collage, painting and video. The exhibition serves a significant homecoming for Sassen, following her first museum showcase at Foam in 2008 titled Flamboya.
The Dutch contemporary artist Viviane… more Foam 3h: Benjamin LiFoam 3h presents In Search of Perfect Orange, a playful exhibition by Rotterdam-based conceptual artist Benjamin Li. Through his work, Li explores themes like identity, belonging, labour and cultural heritage, using food as a lens through which to delve into these complex subjects. The exhibition setup takes inspiration from the 'Chinese-Indisch' restaurant, a culinary genre partially shaped by the colonial history of the Netherlands.
Since 2014, Li has visited over 1,000 … more skateboard culture, art, and urban space through a large-scale installation.In collaboration with ADE, Foam presents La Fluff by Marcel Veldman in Amsterdam's Stenen Hoofd. The exhibition demonstrates the blurred lines between skateboard culture, art, and urban space through a large-scale installation.
Fluff, a publication by Marcel Veldman that defies the conventional definition of a magazine, finds itself in a place where skating is impossible. This paradox—the skater in their so-called natural habitat— captures the essence of Fluff and its connection to skate cu… more Photography through the lens of AIThe solo exhibition AI Attacks by Paolo Cirio focuses on the social implications of AI systems, machine learning AI models, and the use of data. Cirio sees AI as a form of automated violence, expressed through surveillance, discrimination, and disinformation. With his work, he challenges power structures by exploring AI for his counterattacks.
The exhibition showcases installations with prints, videos, and artefacts, highlighting his online artistic interventions and activist campaigns and prom… more Missing MirrorFoam is thrilled to announce a manifestation on Photography Through the Lens of AI, zooming in on the latest developments on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in photography. In recent years AI has started to make a big impact in the world of photography, changing the way we make and see images. The multidimensional project consists of a group exhibition Missing Mirror which is accompanied by the solo exhibition of Paolo Cirio – AI Attacks (part of Foam’s recurring Next Level series), a thematic … more Foam is proud to present the first large scale retrospective of the iconic punk and hip-hop photographer Janette Beckman. With a photographic career stretching over four decades, she documented pivotal underground movements from the early stages of the punk and hip-hop scene to recent movements like Black Lives Matter.
Rebels: An Ode to Subversives, Revolutionaries and Provocateurs sheds light on themes such as social justice, political activism, and youth culture.
Beckman is considered one o… more Artist ShuShu Sieberns tries to create a bridge between two different worlds: one where queer identity and traditional Russian family values can coexist alongside each other. The exhibition Young Human serves as a sensitive exploration of the internal conflict that the artist experiences in the relationship between her deeply religious grandmother and her partner.
The title, Young Human, is a direct translation from the Russian phrase ‘Molodoy Chelovek’, commonly used by young women to ref… more Foam proudly presents the exhibition Strength Away From Home at Mercatorplein’s public space in Amsterdam West. The project is initiated in collaboration with KLABU, an Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation that supports refugees through sports. It marks World Refugee Week and reflects upon the courage and resilience shown by millions of refugees worldwide who have been torn from their familiar environment and forced to build a new life away from home. The exhibition shows the work of … more Angela Ovaa, Ema Catharina van Bolhuis, Guurtje Wever, Marloe Stroeken, Seqouia Duker, Xaveer May, Yasemin Demirözcan and Zehra Göktaş.Foam and MAQAM proudly present the group exhibition Icoon, developed in collaboration with the city council of Amsterdam. The works in the exhibition are created by eight young talents, produced during a five-part workshop series and launched with a publication under the same name.
Renowned professionals such as Dana Lixenberg, Linda van Deursen and Zeinab El Bouni collaborated closely with the participants and guided them in making autonomous work. This resulted in a collection of inspiring st… more Foam is excited to announce the upcoming Foam 3h exhibition GIGA by Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik. The artistic duo delves into the intricate landscape of radicalization within the online realm and through social media channels. Their comprehensive research project sheds light on the covert use of seemingly innocuous forms of media such as music, videos, and images as coded language for extremist ideologies. Ganslmeier and Zibelnik's exploration reveals how memes and various media forma… more Foam is excited to present twenty exceptional artists in the Talent 2024 - 2025 group exhibition. The artists’ works signify a bold, new direction in photographic art. The talents were selected during the biennial Foam Talent Call, for which an astounding 2,500 photographers from over 106 countries submitted their work. The exhibition emphasizes the role of photography as a powerful medium for storytelling, cultural critique, and personal expression. In a time of increasing polarization, this … more Winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2023In 2023, Felipe Romero Beltrán won the 17th edition of the Foam Paul Huf Award. Now Foam is proud to announce his solo exhibition Dialect. The exhibition captures the journey of a group of young Moroccan men after their arrival from a dangerous journey crossing the sea to Spain. Romero Beltrán creates a multimedia narrative of the boys becoming young men, navigating a period of legal limbo in Spain. Through his work, Romero Beltrán sheds light on issues such as alienation and social inequity … more Foam 3hFoam 3h presents the first solo exhibition of recently graduated Dutch photographer Steffi Reimers, the 7th recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Stipendium. For the conceptual photo project Guilty Grounds, she travelled to Calabria, southern Italy, to explore the dark side of Calabrean history and the origins and kidnapping practices of the world's most powerful criminal organisation, the 'Ndrangheta. more Contemporary female artists from Saudi ArabiaFoam proudly presents the exhibition
Fonāna
(فنانة meaning ‘female artist’ in Arabic). This unique showcase delves into the world of contemporary female artists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, capturing their candid perspectives from within the nation.
The exhibition brings together the work of eight contemporary female artists who live or have lived in Saudi Arabia. It offers a unique perspective on a countr… more What is the role of photography in times of conflict? In response to current events, this pop-up exhibition aims to raise question and stimulate discussion by showcasing works from 6 artists and serves as a reflection on the different roles that imagery plays during conflict.
The works from six artists in The Camera as a Weapon differ widely from the perspectives they take to the conflicts they discuss, but every one of them illustrates the impactful role of the camera in times of conflict. The… more In a special collaboration, Foam and MAQAM are proud to present Dana Lixenberg’s famed portraits of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG. The exhibition dives into these iconic images, with the space transformed by graphic artist Linda van Deursen. Come and see the series at MAQAM, a creative space in Amsterdam-West.
The exhibition dives into the ongoing evolution of the iconic images of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG – which have transcended various mediums, from heartfelt graffiti tributes t… more Foam is delighted to announce a large overview and tribute to the work of the remarkable photographer Tina Modotti (1896-1942), an iconic figure in the world of photography, known for her unique blend of artistry and activism. She played an active role in the major political events of the 1920s and 1930s. Her portraits of iconic figures and artists like Diego Rivera or her partner Edward Weston provide a unique window into their world, while her depictions of Mexican peasants and laborers reflec… more Foam proudly presents the first solo exhibition of the internationally recognised fashion photographer Carlijn Jacobs. This Dutch talent works with today's leading brands and celebrities but manages to keep her images quirky and alienating. As a recent highlight, she photographed the album cover of Beyoncé's Renaissance.
Masquerade
Carlijn Jacobs has a fascination with traditional forms of costume and disguise. She relates phenomena such as the Japanese geisha and the age-old tradition of the… more Foam 3h: Hira NabiHow to Love a Tree: Wild Encounters is an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of ecosystems and environments rich in flora and fauna in Pakistan. Using varied forms of media including moving images, audio, text, performance, cyanotypes, silkscreen prints, and rubbings, Hira Nabi's project explores the complex connections between exploitation, history and identity.
"What happens during destruction? What does the aftermath entail? What does disappearance look like? What traces does … more This summer Foam is thrilled to unveil the exhibition A Play of Light and Shadow, a tribute to Ara Güler, one of Turkey's most legendary photographers. His profound love for İstanbul and Turkey is evident from his evocative black and white photographs. The exhibition is a close collaboration between Foam, co-curator Ahmet Polat and the Ara Güler Museum.
The exhibition provides the opportunity to explore iconic and unknown parts of Ara Güler’s oeuvre as a renowned photojournalist who cap… more In the series Leaving one for another the artist explores the cultural identity of transmigrants and their reasons for leaving their homeland. Drawing upon his personal experiences as a migrant, Bozalp combines staged and documentary photography to present emotive matters of migration and finding a home in new environments. more As part of Queer & Pride Amsterdam 2023, Foam is proud to present Seahorse Parents by renowned filmmaker and photographer Miriam Guttmann. In this project, Guttmann investigates gender and identity while challenging prevailing cultural ideas of femininity and masculinity. The artist's whimsical images highlight and celebrate the image of pregnant transgender people.
In the series, four pregnant transgender men proudly present themselves as ‘Seahorse Parents’, as the seahorse is the only spe… more Foam is proud to present a large-scale solo exhibition by Sara Cwynar (b. 1985, Vancouver, CA), the seventh exhibition in the series Next Level. Sara Cwynar is a leading artist of her generation who seeks to make sense of our current visual culture through photography, essayistic video works, collages, installations and books. In her studio, she collects and documents images and objects to identify the ways that these everyday materials shape our lives as we consume them. In this way, she captur… more Foam 3hEce Gökalp's exhibition in Foam 3h revolves around two major events that took place in the Northeast of Turkey. With this project, Gökalp sheds light on conflicts related to cultural heritage, ecological devastation, and the complexities of changing geography due to historical events through in-depth research, photography, and archival material.
Gökalp's main interest is the theory of photography. She explores the controversy surrounding photography, the photographic gaze, and the indexicali… more Foam has been working with the West City District for years to present exhibitions in Mercatorplein's public space. In Dad on His Search for Hüseyin, visual artist Olgaç Bozalp follows his father around with his camera on a journey through different locations that serve as backdrops for their personal stories and adventures to unfold.
In the series, photographer Olgaç Bozalp follows his father Hüseyin around with his camera, recording his model’s unique way of travelling. The result is a … more How do you convey the experience of Orientalism through images? How is it represented in our daily lives? In the exhibition The Start of Something, Gülşah Ayla Bayrak aims to answer these questions by translating Orientalism's experience, emotion, and ideas into pictures, performances, and objects.
On a school trip to the Louvre Museum, Belgian artist Gülşah Ayla Bayrak encountered the famous oil painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, La Grande Odalisque. Bayrak immediately recognised t… more Sem Langendijk's first solo exhibition, Haven, shows the result of a long-term photographic investigation into the process and effects of gentrification and the social inequality it generates. While living and working space is created for some, others are constantly forced to make room. Foam shows Haven at a time when many city dwellers are looking for affordable housing and when many Amsterdam residents can no longer afford to live in the neighbourhood they once grew up in.
Who owns the cit… more Foam proudly presents the first overview of the work of South African photographer Ernest Cole. The exhibition includes parts of his archive, which had long been considered lost. The overview was assembled in collaboration with the Ernest Cole Family Trust, which in 2017 secured control of Cole’s archive. Cole is celebrated for his tireless documentation of Black lives in South Africa under apartheid: a regime of institutionalised racial segregation that was in effect from 1948 to the ear… more 16th Foam Paul Huf AwardIn 2022, Lebohang Kganye won the 16th edition of the Foam Paul Huf Award. Subsequently, Foam is now proud to announce her solo exhibition Haufi nyana? I've come to take you home. Although her work has been featured in many group shows all over the world, this is her first solo exhibition in the Netherlands.
The artistic practice of Lebohang Kganye, who lives and works in Johannesburg, is focused on exploring the personal and collective ‘micro histories’ of her family. It is embedded in th… more Foam 3hAnyone looking at Agterberg's work can sense a dark history, but what exactly lies at its core is not immediately clear. This is what makes her images fascinating: she not only investigates the malleability of memories but also how people, willingly or unintentionally, try to fill the voids within. Politics, media and citizens play the leading role in her work: they are inextricably linked, but they also find themselves in a continuous power struggle. more “Fashion” is a concept that represents what is trending at the moment. Paul Kooiker’s fashion photography, on the other hand, is characterised by its timelessness. The artist portrays the biggest fashion brands and today’s most famous faces, but transports them to a world of their own. Disconnected from time and place, his surreal images feel like film stills with stories we can only guess.
It is for this reason that Paul Kooiker is currently a much sought-after photographer in the worl… more This fall Foam proudly presents the work of a new generation of artists in the group exhibition Foam Talent 2022. The 20 participating artists look closely at both the world around us, and the one within - without shying away from discomfort or pain. Climate change, political conflict, discrimination, displacement, and social justice issues: the works address the pressing problems of our times and remind us that photography has the potential to capture the unspeakable. We are proud to prese… more Foam proudly presents Blessings from Mousganistan, an exhibition by self-taught photographer Mous Lamrabat (Morocco, 1983). Beauty and a sense of hope are central to Lamrabat’s work. His photographs are playful and surrealistic, every so often subtly provocative, but always vibrant and fun. His work is exhilarating and at times a confronting fusion of his diasporic life, using beauty and humour to create powerful new narratives related to sensitive issues like racism, religion and women’s ri… more The video installation Becoming a Ghost by Syrian-born artist Giath Taha captures the artist's emotional reunion with his brother in the online video game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), while they haven't been able to see each other in real life for ten years.
more Magnum Photographers on Commission
This spring Foam presents the exhibition Open for Business – Magnum Photographers on Commission. For over 75 years, the photographers of Magnum Photos have not only created photographic icons on both major events and hidden stories, but have simultaneously worked on commission. The exhibition shows a side of Magnum that the general public is hardly aware of, and which its photographers rarely promote themselves. In eight chapters, the audience is taken on a variety of commercial assignments:… more  From 24 June, Foam will present the exhibition Surinamese Wedding Portraits, a collection of memorable portraits that together cover almost a century of Surinamese history. The photographs span the period from 1846 to 1954, when Surinam was still a Dutch colony. The family photos and stories show the extent to which Surinamese people, under Dutch administration, migrated to all corners of the world. They often found their partner elsewhere, in places like Aruba, Curaçao or Bonaire, in the forme… more Anton Shebetko (1990, Ukraine) portrays Queer Ukrainians who are living or temporarily staying in Europe. The series shows people who moved to Europe after Russia's occupation of Crimea, the war in the East in 2014 and Russia's full invasion in 2022. The portraits and heartfelt interviews in this exhibition document their experiences and hopes for a better future. more “When you say ‘potato’ the response is often an autobiography; potatoes provide a way for us to speak about ourselves.” Rebecca Earle (2019)
Foam proudly presents the exhibition of Ana Núñez Rodríguez. By collecting stories small and large, personal and historical, factual and fictional, Núñez Rodríguez investigates how “[t]he potato packs a universe of symbolic information on identity, domination and social differentiation… more Tales of the Afro-Turkish DiasporaIn Dark Moon, Ahmet Polat sheds light on the lives of Afro-Turks, many of whom came to work in the open fields of Izmir, located in the West of Turkey. Izmir was the main destination for Afro-Turks, former slaves of the Ottoman Empire who later became agricultural workers during the 19th century. Most citizens living in Turkey today remain unaware of this past and Izmir’s Afro-Turkish heritage.
more Foam Paul Huf Award 2021Foam proudly presents the exhibition of John Edmonds (1989, US), the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2021. The show concentrates on A Sidelong Glance: Edmonds’ ongoing body of work in which he examines and reconsiders the representation of Black people throughout art history. Through his meticulously crafted studio photographs of models and objects representing Africa, he carefully contemplates what it means to be Black, human and the subject of art and imaging.
In his photographs, Edmonds… more Foam presents the exhibition Double Portrait by Cemre Yeşil at MAQAM in Amsterdam West. The project examines the relationship between mother and child through different lenses. It deals with topics such as identity, loss, and memory. The work questions the traditions of portraiture and explores the psychological aspects of photography.
"Just as I can feel myself feeling myself through the sense of touch, I see myself seeing myself through the photographic skin. \n\nThe portraits of my mother… more De Andrade tells a story that can only be heard if you listen with all your senses.
Foam presents the 6h edition of the series Next Level, this time with artist Jonathas de Andrade (Maceió, Brazil, 1982). Andrade’s work is visually attractive yet highly critical. It creates a space for communities who are less visible in the socio-economic landscape, and less heard in the contemporary social debate. De Andrade is able to playfully draw attention to major themes such as social and e… more Foam presents The Beautiful and the Sinister, an exhibition by one of the most critically acclaimed British photographers, Bill Brandt (1904- 1983). The exhibition demonstrates the close relationship between the art of the European avant-garde, in particular Surrealism, and his own work. From his earliest photographs in the nineteen-thirties, taken when he was still an amateur, to his portraits and nudes in later years, Brandt shows a permanent fascination with the strange. Departing from the no… more Foam 3h: We can't live - without each otherKarolina Wojtas’ (Poland, 1996) work is colourful, imaginative, humorous and has a vaguely sinister nature to it. The artist is inspired by family, memories of her youth, unusual moments and candy. We can’t live – without each other gives an insight into the continuous struggle between brother and sister: a love-hate relationship, sometimes taken to extremes. The series is a close collaboration between the two siblings. Together they stage intense moments of violence and Wojtas… more Foam is proud to present of life of love of sex of movement of hope, by Liz Johnson Artur. The work of Liz Johnson Artur is about the encounters the artist has had with the people she has met over the last 30 years. The photographs of these encounters are collected in her ever-expanding Black Balloon Archive. Through site-specific photographic installations – individually developed for a particular location – she retells the stories of these meetings to her audience. After photographing, Joh… more Celebrating artists shaping the future of photography.Foam Talent 2021 Digital
Following the award-winning first edition in 2020, Foam presents a brand new online exhibition celebrating a new generation of image-makers.
www.foam.org/events/foam-talent-2021-digital
A new way of looking
Foam Talent 2021 | Digital is a multi-media platform showcasing the work of 20 artists that were selected through the annual Foam Talent Call. Their projects are translated into the digital realm, supported by audio, video and interactive elements. Liberating the… more Foam proudly presents the brilliant but forgotten work from the short photographic career of Shigeru Onishi (1928-1994). Onishi graduated in topology at the University of Hokkaido in 1953, after which he began applying his mathematical theories to photography. Although he abandoned photography after 1957, he did produce a short-lived but extraordinarily unique body of work with which he distanced himself from other movements and ideas in the Japanese photography of his time.
In his photographs,… more With her series, Alexandra Rose Howland (1990, US/UK) presents an intimate portrait of Iraq, a country that is often misunderstood and misrepresented. In 2017, Howland moved to Iraq and began her long time work to understand and translate a people caught in the middle of conflict. During her time photographing there, she started collecting smartphone photos, videos and family photo albums of over fifty Iraqis from across the country, creating Leave and Let Us Go.
88 km in photosHow does one con… more Each year, Foam invites photographers to submit their portfolios via the Talent Call, an international search for exceptionally talented photographers under the age of 35. Selected photographers gain international exposure and recognition within the photography industry through a number of career-building opportunities offered by Foam, including publication in Foam Magazine, participation in a travelling group exhibition and the opportunity for their work to be added to the prestigious Art Colle… more Personal experiences, anger and pain are the basis of the special project Now You See Me Moria in which refugees share photos and stories via Instagram about their daily life in Moria, the largest refugee camp in Europe, located in Greece.
This summer, Foam presents the exhibition Now You See Me Moria together with het Nederlands Fotomuseum en Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Each from their own perspective, the institutions aim to show these disconcerting images to a broad audience.Pain… more Foam presents the exhibition recommended Olympus Fellowship 2020, showcasing the work of recommended fellowship recipients Karla Hiraldo Voleau, Tobias Kruse and Mika Sperling.
Since 2017, Foam has been a partner and co-organiser of recommended, a biennial fellowship for three promising and emerging artists working in the field of photography. The fellowship is organised by Olympus, in cooperation with the Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg and the Fotografie Foru… more Winner Florentine Riem Vis Grant 2020Gilleam Trapenberg (1991, Willemstad, Curaçao) moved to the Netherlands at the age of nineteen and graduated in 2017 from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Trapenberg is the fourth recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Grant. Established in memory of Florentine Riem Vis (1959-2016), the grant is awarded each year with the aim of enabling young artists to further develop their artistic careers. The previous recipients of the grant were Solène Gün (2019), Rebecca Sampson (2018) and Stefanie… more Foam 3h presents the work of photographer Les Adu (Netherlands, 1986). The series I Am consists of over one hundred powerful portraits that capture the strength and pride of his community who Adu documented in response to the death of George Floyd. Foam shows a selection of these portraits.
I Am by Les Adu was created in the summer of 2020 as a reaction to the death of George Floyd in the US, and the viral response against police brutality and oppression of Black people. Moved by the … more
Spanish artist Laia abril (1986) won the fourteenth edition of the Foam Paul Huf Award this year with her long term project A History of Misogyny. This prize is organised by Foam and annually awarded to a talented young photographer, by an independent, international jury. It consists of a cash prize of €20,000 and a solo exhibition at Foam. The multidisciplinary artist uses photography, text, video and sound to tell intimate stories that evoke uncomfortable and hidden realities and often … more  Susanne Khalil Yusef (b. 1984) considers herself to be Palestinian. Her grandparents fled Jaffa in 1948 and were determined to return. They never did. Khalil Yusef’s Palestinian heritage is central to her highly personal artwork through which she addresses urgent topics such as displacement, human rights and identity. She creates small and expansive multimedia installations inspired by stories derived from various archives, found objects and personal encounters. The objects, characters, colors… more Magnum photographer Alec Soth (1969) has become known as the chronicler of life at the American margins of the United States. He made a name as a photographer with his 2004 series Sleeping by the Mississippi, encountering unusual and often overlooked places and people as he travelled along the river banks. A major retrospective in 2015 was followed by a period of seclusion and introspection, during which Soth did not travel and barely photographed. His most recent project, I Know How Furiously Y… more The exhibition Amsterdam Girls presents more than 50 vintage portraits and contact prints from the analogue archive of the American photographer Remsen Wolff (1940-1998). From 1990 to 1992, Wolff spent one month each year at the American Hotel in Amsterdam to work on the project Special Girls - A Celebration. For this project, Wolff made a series of portraits of transgender people in New York and in Amsterdam, the city known at the time as ‘the gay capital of Europe’. These unique po… more The Graduation ShowIn celebration of this year's graduation, Foam presents the final works of Gerrit Rietveld Academie photography department's graduating class. The young artists exhibit work that was produced mostly during Corona lock-down.
Included in the exhibition are: Tasio Bidegain, Marta Capilla Urbano, Tomas Dudley Baker de Castro Feijo, Sofie Flinth Bredholt, Alma Kim, Dora Lionstone, Luca Penning, Aurélie Sorriaux, Shreya de Souza, Alizé Wachto.
Foam is supported by the BankGiro Loterij, De Brauw B… more In Afropean writer and photographer journalist Johny Pitts (Sheffield, UK) examines the life of black communities, travelling across Europe. In search of the "Afropean" identity he went across the continent travelling from London to Paris, via Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscow, Rome, Marseille, Madrid and Lisbon sketching an underexposed story about the continent in words and images. He travelled to Amsterdam to hear from The Black Archives about Hermina and Otto Huiswoud, fighters … more Foam presents the exhibition Foam Talent 2020, with works from a new generation of visual artists at Kuhlhaus Berlin from 22 October - 1 November.
Each year, Foam invites photographers to submit their portfolios via the Talent Call, an international search for exceptionally talented photographers under the age of 35. Selected photographers gain international exposure and recognition within the photography industry through a number of career-building opportunities offered by … more This spring Foam presents the colourful works of Vivian Maier in the new exhibition Works in Color.
Mostly known for her black and white photography, Vivian Maier is an icon in American street photography. A genre mainly dominated by photographers such as Robert Frank, Joel Meyerowitz and Lee Friedlander. Maier’s observant eye as an unknown outsider and as a woman makes her work a significant addition to the canon of photography. This exhibition at Foam focuses on a lesser-known aspect of… more In front of the camera a breathtaking landscape in black and white unfolds, teeming with lush vegetation and overwhelming waterfalls. In search of a kind of 'primal image' of earthly Paradise, photographer and filmmaker Mali Arun (1987, France) travelled to the seemingly untouched Krka nature reserve in Croatia. What she found there turned out to be far from paradise. The place is overrun by a never-ending stream of tourists who move in large numbers through the landscape, albeit uncom… more Photography enables us to observe the world and the effects of our existence in it. It can be used to document, eternalise and motivate events. Photography has also testified to the paradoxical relationship between man, nature and technology. As we use contemporary technologies to document and question our relationship with the natural world, we increasingly experience this world through the very same technologies used.
On Earth – Imaging, Technology and the Natural World unites the work … more For the first new Foam 3h exhibition of 2020, the floor has been given to the artist Sheng-Wen Lo (Taiwan, 1987) with his project Extendable Ears.
In many of his projects Lo discusses the relationship between humans and non-humans in contemporary societies. In Extendable Ears he exposes himself to ultrasound waves, which have frequencies above the audible human range. In order to tackle the human-centric experience of noise, Lo created a wearable device that enabled him to hear ultrasound waves … more Foam will open 2020 with the first-ever exhibition in the Netherlands of the celebrated American author Wright Morris (1910-1998). As well as being a writer, Morris devoted a short period of his life to photography. In his own distinctive way, he portrayed the poverty and decline that plagued the United States in the 1930s and 40s. He incorporated his photographs in so-called 'photo-text' books in which images and writings reinforced each other. Although relatively unknown, and oversha… more Eric Gyamfi (1990, Ghana) is the winner of the 13th Foam Paul Huf Award, which is awarded annually by an international jury to talented photographers under the age of 35. Gyamfi uses a wide array of visual techniques to create visual narratives that hover somewhere in between autobiography and fiction. His work comprises collages, texts, audio and photographs developed according to various methods, including cyanotype and silk screen printing. His portraits and diaristic installations are highly… more What is fashionable and what does it convey about ourselves? How do we adorn ourselves? How do we use fashion to show who we are, who we think we are, or who we want to be? The exhibition Adorned – The Fashionable Show presents intriguing and challenging fashion related photography projects created by a new generation of visual artists. They all work with fashion, but most of them are not straightforward fashion photographers. For them, fashion and style are primarily tools to construct or… more The project Turunç (Bitter Orange) is an exploration of the daily lives of young men with a Turkish background in the suburbs of Paris and Berlin. Solène Gün (1996, FR/CH), herself a child of Turkish immigrants, focuses on the environment of these boys.
What she records is the fraternity, solidarity and hope that connects them as a community, despite the situations of boredom, violence and despair they are often confronted with. Gün translates the contradictory desire th… more The body of work of Lorenzo Vitturi (1980, Italy) investigates urban changes beyond Western cities, processes of cultural mixing and their complexities, and the movement of people and goods in a globalised world. Playing with the combination of reality and fiction, mixing photography, sculpture, painting and performance, he builds temporary sets in his studio, drawing from specific geographical environments. His projects focus on cities including Lagos, London and Venice and selected areas in Pe… more During the longest and darkest days of the year, Gemeente Amsterdam and Foam Photography Museum Amsterdam present Visual Head, a video installation in the public space. This year we are back at Het Stenen Hoofd with Standing in The Sun by photographer and director Viktor Naumovski.
Standing in The Sun is inspired by the emotional experience of growing up in a country in transition. It’s an alternative narrative. This is a coming of age story focusing on a group of boys livi… more Amsterdam-based photographer Dustin Thierry (Willemstad, Curaçao, 1985) began documenting the Dutch Ballroom scene in 2013. This underground phenomenon originated in 19th-century America, where LGBTQ people gathered for drag masquerade Balls where they could freely express themselves. A contemporary manifestation of the Ballroom scene is rapidly expanding on a global scale, with its epicentres in New York and Paris. Following his ongoing series on ballrooms in the Netherlands, Thierry tra… more iconic images of 1930s Parisian lifeFoam is proud to announce the first retrospective of Brassaï in the Netherlands. This French photographer of Hungarian descent is considered as one of the key figures of 20th-century photography. Brassaï (1899- 1984) created countless iconic images of 1930s Parisian life. He was famous for capturing the grittier aspects of the city, but also documented high society, including the ballet, opera, and intellectuals - among them his friends and contemporaries like Pablo Picasso, Salvador D… more Gallery Mercatorplein is a recurring photo exhibition in the public space. This edition features the latest project of Ahmet Polat.
The project Postcards from Morocco tells the stories of Moroccan Amsterdammers and mirrors them with the stories of those who stayed behind, in Morocco. This year marks 50 years since the Netherlands and Morocco signed a recruitment treaty, which made Moroccan labour migration to the Netherlands officially possible. Ahmet Polat initiated the Postcard from Morocco p… more
In this exhibition, titled Casting Out the Self, Hawgood visualises the effect of the drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which he personally experienced as a transfer into the digital realm. His work creates a hallucinatory effect: photographs seem to move, flat surfaces reveal hidden depths, and the perception of space turns out to be an illusion. Hawgood researches and appropriates elements of computational photography into his work, leading into intriguing site-specific installations and sculptu… more
There is likely no other artist who mixes and matches more than Kévin Bray (France, 1989). Trained as a graphic designer at L’Ésaab (Nevers, France), then attached to the Design Department of the Sandberg Institute (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and now a resident at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), he moves with ease across the boundaries of various disciplines. His work is a hybrid of techniques, motifs and formal languages in which he br… more Silver Lake Drive, the second solo-exhibition by Alex Prager at Foam, is a retrospective of more than ten years of work by the American photographer and filmmaker.
In 2012, the American artist Alex Prager (1979, Los Angeles) won the Foam Paul Huf Award for her series Compulsion. Seven years later, Prager returns to Foam with an exhibition Silver Lake Drive. Prager’s work is cinematic, drawing inspiration from her surroundings, personal experiences, street photography, pop culture and fil… more In conjunction with Pride Amsterdam 2019, Foam presents the work of Momo Okabe (1981, Japan) from the museum's collection.
The photos are a selection from the series Bible and Dildo, which tell the story of Okabe’s lovers and their struggles with gender dysphoria, identity disorders and social isolation. In Dildo, Okabe documents relationships with Kaori, a woman with gender dysphoria, and Yoko, a lover she followed to Thailand during gender reassignment surgery. The series title, Di… more 20 Years of Art Collection Deutsche BörseIn light of the 20-year anniversary of the prestigious Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Foam presents Changing Views – 20 Years of Art Collection Deutsche Börse, an extensive range of works from one of the most important corporate collections of contemporary photography. The Art Collection Deutsche Börse comprises approximately 1,800 works from over 120 international photographers, including iconic names such as Diane Arbus, Walker Evans, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Rineke Dijks… more From the 3rd of May, Foam 3h presents the work of Lilian Kreutzberger (1984, Netherlands). Kreutzberger is trained as a painter, but in her conceptual projects she combines photographic techniques with other media such as sculpture and architecture. In her project Whiteandgold && Blackandblue, the artist investigates the experience of material and space in the digital domain. Her multimedia work, which has a strong photographic dimension, is elusive and mysterious, and at the same time v… more The artist duo Scheltens & Abbenes is seen as the most progressive still-life photographers in the Netherlands today. Maurice Scheltens (1972) and Liesbeth Abbenes (1970) have managed to build an international artistic practice at the intersection of commissioned and autonomous photography.
The exhibition draws the visitor into a sense of wonder at the things we encounter in daily life. In their studio, Scheltens & Abbenes analyse the essence of things by subjecting their anatomy to a m… more This spring, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam proudly presents I Can Make You Feel Good, photographer and filmmaker Tyler Mitchell’s (1995, US) first solo exhibition. Alongside a selection of images from the artist’s personal and commissioned work, Foam is also premiering two of Mitchell’s video works: Idyllic Space and Chasing Pink, Found Red.
Tyler Mitchell’s work visualises a black utopia. Making use of candy colour palettes and natural light, Mitchell captures young b… more During Unseen Amsterdam 2018, Eva O'Leary (b. 1989) was selected by an international jury as the recipient of the Outset | Unseen Exhibition Fund. Foam is proud to present her solo exhibition Happy Valley at Foam 3h.
Happy Valley is the nickname for the town State College in Pennsylvania (US), the hometown of American-Irish artist Eva O’Leary (b. 1989). The place long stood as the poster-child for a perfect suburban American life. A tranquil, comfortable and blissful place where life… more This year marks the 25th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections, followed by the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president in 1994. This historic event marked the end of apartheid: a regime of institutionalised racial segregation that was in effect from 1948 to 1991. South African photographer Santu Mofokeng (b. 1956) documented the everyday lives of rural sharecroppers and of labourers in the townships. At a time when propaganda dominated the media, his images offer a … more His New York YearsFrom 15 February, Foam will be showing the colour photography of the influential German photographer Erwin Blumenfeld.
Blumenfeld (1897-1969) was born in Germany. He mastered photography in the Netherlands, where he shot portraits. After he went to Paris he built a career in fashion photography for a few years and he only worked in black and white. He liked to experiment with various techniques such as double exposure, distortion and solarisation. But from the moment that colour photography was … more In December Foam will present the exhibition Feast for the Eyes - The Story of Food in Photography. This exhibition shows the rich history of food photography - not only in the visual arts, but also in commercial and scientific photography and photojournalism. From the banality of the diner-breakfast special of Stephen Shore to the allegorical still life of Laura Letinsky, from Roger Fenton's extensive nineteenth-century displays of food to the cookbooks of the sixties. The extensive exhibi… more Foam opens pop-up location: Foam Next Door
presenting a new generation of young photographers in Foam Talent 2019
On 12 January Foam is launching a new pop-up venue: Foam Next Door. In a former office space at Keizersgracht 617 – two doors down from the museum – Foam will present the brand new exhibition Foam Talent 2019, with works from a new generation of visual artists from 13 January to 3 March 2019. The work of these 20 outstanding young artists selected through the annual Foam… more Next Level Foam presents the first major solo museum exhibition by Persijn Broersen (Delft, 1974) and Margit Lukács (Amsterdam, 1973) as part of the exhibition series Next Level.
This artist duo creates video works, installations and graphic works, often staged in parallel worlds and reflecting on today’s visual culture. The way Broersen & Lukács visualise man’s relation to nature goes hand in hand with a visual inquiry into the production and perception of image. Broersen &… more This winter Foam shows the work of Dutch artist Daan Paans in his first solo museum exhibition Panta Rhei. Comprising photography, sculptures and a video piece, in this exhibition the artist plays with the way in which we assign value to artworks and historical artefacts, and how our interpretations change imperceptibly over time.
In the opening scene of Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981), the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones manages to obtain the … more A journey through Manhattan, crossing many different neighborhoods, sparking observations, thoughts and memories.
Foam presents the project Ghosts Don’t Walk In Straight Lines by Saskia de Brauw and Vincent van de Wijngaard. For this project Saskia de Brauw, mostly known for her international career as a top model, crossed the streets of New York by foot, walking from North to South in one full day. This slow walk along Manhattan– juxtaposing a city that is in many ways very fast mo… more Paul Huf Award 2018Foam proudly presents 43-35 10th Street an exhibition of the work of Daniel Shea (1985, US), who is selected by an international jury as the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2018.
Daniel Shea was awarded the twelfth Foam Paul Huf Award for his work in which he presents a seductive and disconcerting world of concrete, steel and glass, which traverses the boundaries of fact and fiction. His cityscapes are poetic and timeless, yet they address the very real effects of capital… more Florentine Riem Vis Grant 2018/19Foam is proud to present the first museum solo exhibition of the German-American artist Rebecca Sampson (1984). Her work is a photographic study of the daily life of Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong. With little to no leisure time or personal space, these labour migrants construct a parallel identity using social media channels. Far from home and in a completely female subculture, the women develop an ambiguous sexual identity. Sampson portrays this population in a layered multi-media na… more The life work of Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase (Hokkaido, 1934-2012) remained largely inaccessible for over two decades, following a tragic fall that left the artist with permanent brain damage. After his death the archives were gradually disclosed, revealing a wealth of material that had never been shown before. Foam presents a large-scale retrospective with original prints from the Masahisa Fukase Archives in Tokyo. In addition to his seminal body of work Ravens, the exhibition contain… more Paul Mpagi Sepuya (1982, US) explores the conventions of portrait photography and the role of the studio in his work. Sepuya’s photographs often contain fragments or compilations from earlier work, which appear in the image as strips or cuttings. These are layered over the camera lens or pasted to the mirror of the studio in which he takes his photographs. Thus his images are not collages in the true sense of the word, but ingenious compositions created in front of the lens and captured in… more In 2014, Foam presented to the public work from its own collection for the first time, in the exhibition Reflected – Works from the Foam Collection. Since then, the collection has grown from over 400 to around 550 works of art. The collection – which is focused solely on contemporary photography – is still constantly developing. Loading… Works from the Foam Collection shows a selection of the most recent additions from the last five years. It features work from 30 intern… more After sunset, a spectacular performance by emerging photographer Charlotte Krieger and producer LYZZA will open a big outdoor installation at Amsterdam's Het Stenen Hoofd. Get swept away by LYZZA's sounds with your headphones on and see Krieger's mesmerizing bold colours that will be projected on the structure. The collaborative project Foam X ADE Playground is initiated by Amsterdam Dance Event, Foam and the City of Amsterdam, District West to bring two artists from the music and… more Senta Simond's work focuses on an intimate approach to the female body and portraiture. Her photographs feature a circle of acquaintances and respond to existing, and too often clichéd, representation of femininity. Simond doesn’t take her photographs on a built set but against a white background, often a white wall in the domestic surroundings of the model herself. The equipment is simple. The level of trust between the model and the photographer is high. This minimal method a… more Thomas Albdorf (1982, Austria) combines classic photographic genres with modern visual techniques.
His landscapes and still-lifes are boldly aesthetical, but his use of the photographic medium is highly conceptual. Using both analogue and digital techniques, Albdorf edits photographs of perennial visual clichés found online (such as a setting sun, a mountainous landscape) after which he subjects these found photos to image recognition software and automatic image generation. The resultin… more Samuel Gratacap (1982, FR) has been following the lives of African refugees and migrants since 2007 and has then started to follow their routes around the Mediterranean Sea in reverse order.
His road is based on testimonies of migrants he has come to know and contacts he got via via. Gratacap's work is about territories of movement: the crossing of land borders, the waiting rooms for daily workers, the prison, but also the roads to a renewed identity. He goes beyond most news media and com… more Photography from The Walther CollectionIn the exhibition Structures of Identity - Photography from The Walther Collection Foam presents a selection of photographic works from the famous collection of German-American collector Artur Walther (b. 1948).
Structures of Identity shows how photographers from different periods and diverse cultures have used the power of the portrait to confirm or indeed critically investigate stereotypical ideas about gender, race, status and nationality. The exhibition focuses… more Foam is proud to present the exhibition Foam 3h: Stelios Kallinikou - Studies in Geology. A sense of continual exploration of national identity typifies the body of work of Cypriot photographer Stelios Kallinikou (1985), who creates magical and beautiful images that are deeply rooted in the Cypriot landscape. The landscape, as a result of our collective action, becomes a vehicle for his thoughts on place, history, time and space – all fundamental issues related to human nature.
Previously… more In the 1950s and 60s, a colourful collection of inhabitants of Bamako, capital of Mali, posed for Seydou Keïta (1921-2001, Mali).
People visited Keïta’s studio to have their picture taken at their best: wearing extravagant dresses made from wonderful textiles with splendidly formed headdresses, or posing in a modern Western suit with a bow tie, leaning against a motorcycle, or with a radio tucked under their arm. His oeuvre reflects a portrait of an era that captures Bamako&rsqu… more A Snake That Disappeared Through A Hole In The WallAccording to an old Slavic legend, a snake inhabits people’s homes and brings happiness and prosperity to the household. This ‘snake housekeeper’ was traditionally welcomed with a bowl of milk on the threshold. The story is one of the many folk tales from the Czech Republic which Tereza Zelenkova (1985, Ostrava) seeks to revive. Over the course of two years, the artist accumulated numerous stories that formed the starting point for extensive journeys through the landscape of he… more For Dutch artist Daniëlle van Ark (1974) photography is the most ephemeral of all media. With the development of steadily more advanced reproduction technologies, the expiration date of a photograph seems to diminish exponentially. Where the photograph was a unique and precious item in the nineteenth century, today everyone can record and reproduce memories at just a push of a button. But amidst the deluge of fleeting images produced and consumed every day, to what extent can something or s… more Gold & Silver offers a contemporary insight into the Gold Rush that captured the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. Two great myths or crazy dreams became reality: filling your pockets with the most precious metal and fixing your image in metal. At the time gold and silver were used in the photographic process. The Foam exhibition Gold and Silver emphasizes this relationship between the gold rush and the early photography.
Halfway through the nineteenth century many adventurers dr… more Human Nature is a series of interconnected stories about nature, people, government, and the science of our relationship to wilderness. Lucas Foglia (b. 1983, US) deftly navigates the strange conceptual territory, where wild nature is both a quenching oasis and a shimmering mirage. His photographs show people gazing at nature, touching it, submerging themselves in it, studying it, nursing it, killing it, profiting off it, and, often just barely, surviving upon it.
Lucas Foglia grew up on a sma… more Jacob Riis’ social reformative photography
When Danish immigrant Jacob Riis (1849-1914) sets foot on American soil in 1870 in New York City, he is penniless. His impoverish background stimulates the twenty-one year old to concern himself with the poor living conditions of inhabitants of the city’s Lower East Side. During the following years, Riis becomes an important journalist and social reformer, and is seen as one of the founders of documentary photography. With captivating and p… more Foam proudly presents the final exhibition of the collaborative project Amsterdam Vertelt.
Amsterdam Vertelt has been organised by the public library OBA and Foam over the last two years. The most beautiful stories and photographs resulting from workshops in various areas of Amsterdam are showcased in the four editions of Amsterdam Vertelt Magazine. Twenty-six participants are featured in the magazine and their portraits, shot by photographer Coco Plooijer, are the focus of the exhibition on s… more Winner Outset | Unseen exhibition FundDuring Unseen Amsterdam 2017, Theo Simpson (b. 1986, UK) was selected by an international jury as the recipient of the Outset | Unseen Exhibition Fund. Foam presents his forthcoming exhibition at Foam. Theo Simpson’s work stands out for its unique visual language, which combines photography with alternate forms of material expression such as sculpture and site-specific work. Simpson uses his own local landscape of Northern England as the starting point for an exploration of the dynamic int… more The 19th Century in the 21st CenturyBack 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 for… more Foam Paul Huf Award 2017Mader won the Foam Paul Huf Award for his series Ekaterina, depicting the search for a bride in the fictitious city of Ekaterina. The series is part of the exhibition, which consists of several projects that jointly form a narrative about a naive young man in search of happiness. Mader plays with the tension between reality and fiction. His work stands out for the humour and irony with which he addresses serious topics such as loneliness, love, exploitation and the female body. Beneath the seemi… more Foam presents the first major solo museum exhibition by Anouk Kruithof (1981, Dordrecht) as part of the exhibition series Next Level.
The work of Kruithof is a refreshingly original contribution to contemporary photography. Approaching the medium from a great variety of angles, her works are equally versatile, ranging from photo collages to video animations, installations, sculptures, publications, performances and public interventions. Common premise is a fascination for the online represent… more In November 2016 and March 2017 Stefanie Moshammer visited the Haitian island Île-à-Vache. What looks like the Caribbean dream straight from a stock photograph, with waving palms and white beaches, is also a place of unfulfilled promises. Besides the beautiful surroundings of the deep blue ocean, bright green nature and colourful streets, cities and sea shores are also coloured by litter and waste, from plastic bottles and bags to polystyrene wrappings. In her series Tomorrow of Yes… more André Kertész (1894-1985) is renowned for the exceptional contribution he made to the visual language of 20th-century photography with his poetic work. Foam presents a retrospective of his oeuvre, examining his early work created in his homeland of Hungary, his time in Paris – where between 1925 and 1936, he was a leading figure in avant-garde photography – through to New York, where he lived for nearly fifty years. In an interview, Kertész once said: “Ever… more 20 international young artistsFoam is proud to present the work of twenty new Foam Talents. The annual Talent Call is an international search for exceptionally talented photographers under the age of 35. The submissions form an intriguing barometer of current developments in contemporary photography.
The Foam Talent programme is a career building platform that helps launch aspiring image-makers into the international photography industry, giving them global acclaim and recognition. Many artists once selected as Foam Talent … more Foam welcomes photography collective Ruang Mes 56 from Indonesia for a collaborative presentation of Indonesian talent at Foam 3h. For the exhibition Foam X Ruang Mes 56 two young artists, Yudha Kusuma Putera and Andri William were chosen to present their work. Both artists focus on collaboration and on engagement with others.
The starting point for the exhibition is the Indonesian tradition of gotong royong. In Indonesian society, the communal spirit is a quintessential aspect of culture. It… more In collaboration with NEU NOW, Foam presents the work of Dutch visual artist Robert Glas (NL, 1986) in the exhibition Before the Law.
His projects scrutinise legislative processes around immigration and personal identification. His practice is an ongoing investigation into the technologies used by nation-states to monitor the movement of people across territories. This process results in short films, photographs and installations, a selection of which will be on display in Foam 3h, Fo… more The camera can be a powerful weapon against repression, racism, violence, and inequality. The American photographer Gordon Parks (1912-2006) referred to the camera as his “weapon of choice” and used photography to expose the deep divisions in American society. Parks was an important champion of equal rights for African Americans and in his work addressed themes such as poverty, marginalisation and injustice. Aside from his iconic portraits of legends like Martin Luther King, he espec… more In his work, Adam Jeppesen (b. 1978) searches for the silence in desolate landscapes and the physical elements the artist surrenders to.
Foam presents the exhibition Out of Camp by the Danish artist in the summer of 2017. Foam presents five recent series: Folded (2014-present), Scatter (2014-2016), Ghosts (2013-2014), Parts (2011-2014) and XCopy (2011-2012). These series are the result of a solitary 487-day journey from the North Pole to Antarctica. The images of remote, rugged landscapes are … more Foam welcomes the African Artists’ Foundation for a collaborative presentation of young African talent at Foam 3h.
The African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit organisation based in Nigeria, dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African art. Together, Foam and the AAF present the work of three young photographers from Kenya and Nigeria: Mũchiri Njenga (1985), Osborne Macharia (1986) and Kadara Enyeasi (1994). Their works present fantastical world… more In the collaborative project titled No Joke, artists Roger Ballen (1950, VS) and Asger Carlsen (1973, DK) explore the more sinister sides of the human psyche. Together the duo produced 37 images, without ever working in the same studio at the same time: their creative exchange and co-creation has been a purely online affair. Their menacing work evokes a sense of anxiety and longing that is usually experienced only in dreams.
Although Roger Ballen lives in Johannesburg and Asger Carlsen in New Y… more To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the museum, Foam is organising a broad range of activities under the title Collaborate! and is present in Arles during the opening week of the international photography festival Les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles 2017 in France (3-9 July). In collaboration with Regards & Mémoires, Foam transforms the monumental building La Bourse du Travail, in central Arles, into a discussion- and meeting place with expositions and presentations. One … more Over recent years, in all kinds of places around the globe, collectives have been formed that are not tied to specific institutes or to ways of organising activities that are imposed from above. There is a growing tendency among photographers and artists as well to join forces and organise themselves. Many such collectives are based on do-it-yourself principles of ‘cut out the middle man’. Although their points of departure, artistic strategies, processes and visual end products are … more The American photographer William Eggleston (1939, Memphis Tennessee, US) is widely considered one of the leading photographers of the past decades. He has been a pioneer of colour photography from the mid-1960s onwards, and transformed everyday America into a photogenic subject. In the exhibition William Eggleston – Los Alamos, Foam displays 75 photographs that were taken on various road trips through the southern states of America between 1966 and 1974. The exhibition includes a number o… more The exhibition New Perspectives presents the results from the educational project of the same name, which ran from January until May 2017.
New Perspectives is a project initiated by Foam that helps newcomers and people granted temporary residence participate in society through a range of workshops, tours, masterclasses and exchanges linked to photography. The objective is to use photography to stimulate creative encounters and language development amongst Amsterdam residents. The exhibition pr… more Foam Paul Huf Award winner 2016In the exhibition Matter, Foam presents new three-dimensional work by Daisuke Yokota (Saitama, b. 1983). Three installations revolve around the tactile aspects of photography, in which the outcome of the artwork is not determined by the camera, but by experiments with the material forms of the medium. Previously in his artistic practice Yokota would re-use images that he took years ago, but that keep re-appearing in different ways through various analogue and digital processes. In these new work… more Foam welcomes Hydra, a young photography platform based in Mexico City, for a collaborative presentation of young talent from Mexico at Foam 3h.
From workshops on bookmaking to curating exhibitions, Hydra organises a range of photography-related activities, establishing a vibrant network of contemporary photographers in the process. Foam and Hydra present the work of two young talents in Mexican photography: Nelson Morales (1982) and Diego Moreno (1992). Mexico’s complex history has crea… more Stéphanie Solinas uses her work to explore contemporary ideas about identity that are informed by practical applications within photography.
The exhibition Dominique Lambert / Le Pourquoi Pas? presents two series by the French photographer Stéphanie Solinas. In her work, Solinas attempts to materialise abstract concepts such as identity or the spiritual in a systematic and factual manner. She employs photography as a part of a diverse array of research methods – al… more
Provocative, but also poetic. Foam is exhibiting the explicit photographs of Ren Hang (1987, CN). The photographer was selected by the Outset | Unseen Exhibition Fund during the Unseen Photo Fair 2016, his exhibition at Foam is the result.
Naked youths, mostly Chinese and every one as beautiful and unashamed as the next, take centre stage in the work of Ren Hang. Swans, peacocks, fish and snakes, as well as cherries, apples, flowers, plants and trees are all employed as absurd yet poetic acces… more In the exhibition Hiroshi Sugimoto - Black Box, Foam presents an overview of the work of Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948, Tokyo). The exhibition is divided into five sections devoted to the artist’s major series: Theaters (1976-ongoing); Lightning Fields (2006-ongoing); Dioramas (1976-2012); Portraits (1994-1999); and Seascapes (1980-ongoing). On display are a total of 34 large-format works, selected by guest curator Philip Larratt-Smith, that offer a survey of the artist’s… more Boundaries presents the first solo-exhibition of Harley Weir (b. 1988, London). With a remarkable eye for detail, she finds beauty in the mundane. Close to the skin of her objects, Weir’s intimate approach is what marks her work in any context, be it a border zone in a politically charged area, or in a room with a model. The title of this exhibition refers to what is ultimately dissolved in the work of Harley Weir. But even as she crosses the lines of what usually holds people apart, on pe… more Black Chalk and White Charcoal or the Myth of the Absent Matter is an exhibition of the monumental and mysterious work of Brazilian Sofia Borges (b. Ribeirão Preto, 1984).
In her own intuitive manner, Borges photographs paintings, drawings, sculptures, maps, fossils, stuffed animals and dioramas, all of which are models of reality that we use as ways of trying to get a grip on the world around us and, by doing so, to give it meaning.
Borges photographs details and carefully selects the … more This autumn, Foam will present a large solo exhibition by the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei (1957, China).
As a political refugee who lived under constant government surveillance, the artist feels related to the growing influx of refugees attempting to enter Europe. Since his first visit to the Greek island of Lesbos in December 2015, he and his team have travelled to refugee camps all around the Mediterranean, including in Syria, Turkey, Italy, Israel and France.
The exhibition in Foa… more Foam presents the first major museum solo exhibition by Amsterdam and New York based Melanie Bonajo, who holds a unique position in contemporary art. She has become an unconventional artist working in different disciplines including photography, video, installations, publications, performance and music. An interesting feature is her anarchist approach and her dynamic ability to constantly escape social conventions.
Since 2012, Melanie Bonajo has been working on her video trilogy Night Soil. In… more Foam presents a selection of photographs from the collection at the OBA, the Amsterdam Public Library.
From 2 September until 30 November 2016, Foam presents the exhibition Reading Images in the OBA as a part of educational project Amsterdam Vertelt.
The meaning of a photo is often not as clear as it seems. We can read the image, but do we know how to read a visual image? What is a picture, an image anyway? Does it tell us all the same story, or do we look at it from different points of view?
… more A Hundred Years of Albanian Studio PhotographyIn the exhibition The Marubi Dynasty – A hundred years of Albanian studio photography, Foam is showing a selection of photos from the archive of the Albanian photographic studio Marubi (1856-1959).
Three generations of photographers made studio portraits of a wide variety of people, ranging from the urban bourgeoisie, shepherds, the Ottoman emperor and King Zog, to criminals and famous actors and painters.
In about 1850, not long after the invention of photography, the Italian Pietro M… more Made of ChinaFrom 16 September onwards, Foam devotes its project space 3h to Made of China, brand new work by visual artist Olya Oleinic (1991, Moldova).
In her practice she researches the aesthetics of advertising as a tool for communication. The circulation of advertisements is a determinant aspect of our culture; artistic reflection upon this subject provides insight into the effects and influence of commerce upon daily life. For Made of China, Oleinic researched one of the main driving forces of our con… more In 2005, 2009 and 2012, Museum Van Loon already graciously opened its historical rooms for Foam. The two museums are located opposite each other on the Keizersgracht. Since Foam will be closing its doors temporarily to prepare its major exhibition Helmut Newton – A Retrospective, Foam and Museum van Loon are again organising an exhibition together, called Second Skin. In this exciting collaboration between the two institutions, five contemporary artists explore the human body through photo… more From 17 June 2016, Foam will present a major exhibition of the work of Helmut Newton (Berlin, 1920 - West Hollywood, 2004), a legendary, supremely influential photographer. Taking over the entire building on Amsterdam’s Keizersgracht, the retrospective features in excess of 200 photographs, ranging from early prints that rarely go on display to monumental photos. Newton is responsible for a rich, authentic and complex oeuvre that can be considered one of the most iconic of the last quarter… more Simultaneously with Helmut Newton - A Retrospective, Foam 3h is exhibiting three young photographers who are working at the cutting edge of fashion, portrait and glamour photography.
Selected artists each demonstrate a strong, unconventional visual language in both their commercial and autonomous work, reminiscent in various ways of certain Helmut Newton influences.
In contrast to the majority of the fashion world, Carlijn Jacobs (1991, NL) does not aim for perfection, but for unconventiona… more 24 innovative image makers under the age of 35Each year, Foam organises an international Talent Call to identify young, emerging photographers under the age of 35. Foam is delighted to announce the names of the 2016 Foam Talents. The 2016 Talent Call for Foam Magazine had a total of 1494 submissions from 75 different countries across 6 continents. Once again, the jury was delighted by the impressive variety and high quality of all submissions. The work of 24 selected photographers will be featured in the upcoming Foam Magazine Talent Issue.… more
Between 1915 and 1959, American studio photographer Mike Disfarmer (1884-1959) made portraits of the residents of Heber Springs, a small town in rural Arkansas. Only after his death did his work become known internationally and regarded as a typical example of classic American portrait photography. Foam is staging a major retrospective, with 182 vintage photographs, including a number of 8 x 10 inch prints that have never been exhibited before.
Disfarmer started life as Mike Meyer, one of seve… more From April, Foam will present the exhibition Calais - From Jungle to City by photographer Henk Wildschut (b. Harderwijk, the Netherlands, 1967). Close to the seaport of Calais in France, the heart of democratic Europe, a parallel world has existed for ten years. Here refugees from Africa and the Middle East wait for a chance to cross to the United Kingdom. Henk Wildschut has been following the growing influx of refugees in Calais since 2005. Over the past year he stepped up his visits and watche… more Foam presents Shelter Island, the newest work of Roe Ethridge (1969, US). At the eastern end of Long Island, New York, the photographer turned to his family and the characteristically American ‘Kit House’ they rented for the summer of 2015. There he became fascinated by a range of stored away possessions from the homeowners and their children.
Employing an array of classic photographic genres – from portraiture to still life to landscape – Ethridge captures his subjects … more Foam is pleased to present the first international exhibition of Jack Davison (1990, United Kingdom). The twenty-five-year-old studied English literature and is an autodidact photographer. His work shows a passion for the discipline’s history, and in it we can see Davison revisiting a diverse range of genres, styles, and techniques spanning from avant-garde experiment to objective documentary, and from 20th-century portraiture to conceptual study. Yet his practice is very contemporary as w… more Foam presents the artwork of the Dutch duo Jaya Pelupessy (1989) and Felix van Dam (1986) in Foam 3h. Fascinated by how photography constructs images, they developed a new technique with a camera that combines photography with silkscreen printing.
Alongside the results of their experiments – prints that oscillate between silkscreen print and photograph and visually recall the history of photography – they present abstracted images that picture the working process.
The exhibition Tr… more Foam presents the work of famed French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894 – 1986). Born into a prosperous middle-class family in Paris, Lartigue focused his camera on the carefree existence in and around his own family circle. Lartigue is above all famous for his spectacular photos of car races, aeroplanes and people and animals in motion. But his breath-taking colour photography is less well known. Lartigue, Life in Colour reveals this seldom-seen aspect of his oeuvre.
Lartigue&r… more Foam presents Blanco, the first major museum-based solo exhibition by Awoiska van der Molen (b. Groningen, 1972), featuring the monochrome landscape photography she has been working on since 2009. Van der Molen’s work, which was shown in 2007 in Foam 3h, garnered a great deal of praise last summer at the Unseen Photo Fair, where she presented new work. Foam shows a broad selection of her handmade gelatin silver prints, mostly in large format.
The exhibition Blanco is the result of long pe… more Foam presents an exhibition with the work of the Belgian photographer Vincent Delbrouck (Brussels, 1975). New Paintings is a mediation on the beauty of bright colours, reflected by simple objects, plants and the human body, which Delbrouck encountered during his various travels. Inspired by painting, he aims to capture the flow of life through his photography, photobooks and installations.
Vincent Delbrouck integrates his personal, contextual and fictional perspectives to produce lasting impres… more Visual artist Thomas Kuijpers shows a diorama devoted to the Twin Towers. As a modern-day Don Quixote, using an absurd collection of kitsch images and objects, the artist recreates the iconic imagery of New York’s skyline pre-9/11. At first sight, it seems a naïve attempt to reconstruct this romantic image from before the dramatic one that is so strongly engrained in our collective memory that it is nearly impossible to imagine otherwise.
It all started with the purchase of a paintin… more Foam shows an overview of the exceptional and intense work of an American photographer, Francesca Woodman (1958-1981). Woodman used photography as an extremely personal means of expression, as if wearing her skin inside out, making herself the only subject of her work. Her photographs were shown in a number of major international exhibitions and they have inspired artists all over the world.
Before committing suicide at the age of twenty-two, Woodman explored themes such as gender, representati… more In the exhibition My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Foam presents work by Paul Bogaers (Tilburg, 1961) which he created in the last five years. During this period, his work has developed from two-dimensional photo combinations to the three-dimensional domain of assemblage, sculpture and installation, in which photography plays a vital role. Bogaers makes extensive use of paper mâché – a material not often embraced by fine artists. Association and suggestion have always been impor… more Contemporary Chinese photographySeven important artists, from different generations, reflect on today’s China in the exhibition We May Have Met Before.
Following the successful presentation in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai of exhibitions put together by Foam, this autumn the museum will be staging We May Have Met Before, an exhibition of the work of seven contemporary Chinese artists, compiled by the internationally famous Chinese curator Feng Boyi, Liu Gang and Wang Dong.
Seven important artists… more With New Arrivals, Bruno Zhu (Portugal, 1991) remodels the Foam 3h library into another reading room – one that flattens the representation of reading itself. Twisting time and space, both physically and conceptually, the installation juxtaposes visual motifs from the private space into the public and vice versa. This way, Zhu light-heartedly explores his fascination for photography’s ambivalent symbol as surface and object, representation and appropriation.During New Arrivals, the F… more The exhibition Magnum Contact Sheets shows the magic surrounding the all-encompassing ‘decisive moment’ and how iconic images come to exist. This exhibition offers insight into the working methods of the world’s most famed journalistic photographers, by looking at their original contact sheets. The exhibition consists of 60 contact sheets and associated single images and offers a chronological overview of outstanding historical moments from the 1930s to 2010. Work can be seen … more Foam presents the first major solo exhibition of visual artist Anne de Vries (born 1977, The Hague) in which existing and new work are combined.
Anne de Vries grew up in a time in which the internet, Photoshop, Tumblr and mobile upload feeds came to seem entirely natural. They embrace the fluid, dynamic world that exists in the computer and the new world facilitated by it, deploying photography as an important part of a far broader artistic practice, in which a diversity of materials, techniqu… more Paul Huf Award 2015Foam proudly presents Bible and Dildo, an exhibition of the work of Momo Okabe (Tokyo, 1981). Okabe was chosen by an international jury as the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2015. She won the prize for her two remarkable projects about Japanese society and Okabe’s intimate relationships with two transgender lovers, whom she followed during their processes of transition.
Bible and Dildo revolves around the struggles of Momo Okabe’s lovers and friends, who are outsiders in Japanes… more When the young French photographer Jean-Vincent Simonet (Lyon, 1991) came across the book Les Chants de Maldoror (The Songs of Maldoror), he felt hugely attracted to the dark, theatrical and transgressive character. The cutting-edge book praising youth revolt, blasphemy and the victory of dream over reality was published in 1869 by Comte de Lautréamont. Jean-Vincent Simonet decided to revive the literary enigma by transforming the classic novel into a contemporary book and exhibition Mald… more Photography in the Capital of CoolThis summer, Foam presents Swinging Sixties London – Photography in the Capital of Cool. The thematic group show immerses visitors in the dazzling London of the sixties, an era bursting with possibilities. The presentation touches upon all of the remarkable developments in and around photography at the time: fashion, celebrities, music, magazines, design and social change. In the exhibition, Foam brings together the work of iconic photographers of the sixties – who in their heyday we… more Foam is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of the young French artist Noémie Goudal (b. Paris, 1984). Her portfolio was published in the 2012 annual Talent issue of Foam Magazine, and Foam has been closely following her strong and consistent development ever since.
Typical of Goudal’s work are layered photos of quiet, mysterious landscapes which she combines with elements of modernist architecture appearing to have an archaic quality. The landscape becomes a theatrical s… more Foam proudly presents The Nine and The Ninety Nine, an exhibition of the American photographer Katy Grannan (1969, USA), comprising her two newest series which are shown here for the first time outside the United States.
Grannan is renowned for her remarkable and intimate portraits of strangers, most of whom are somehow living on the fringes of society. The titles of the series refer to (former) highways in the U.S. state California, U.S. route 9 and U.S. route 99, along which she met the indiv… more The work of Sjoerd Knibbeler (1981) focuses on visualising invisible natural phenomena such as the wind, air movement and climatological conditions. Knibbeler creates a world that follows his own logic, where associative relationships and imagination play a key part. He is inspired by subjects such as flying, aeroplanes, aerodynamics and climatology.
The exhibition at Foam 3h, Digging Up Clouds, brings together various projects by Knibbeler related to with these themes. In addition to photos fr… more Foam presents the first international solo exhibition of Nerhol. This successful artist duo was founded in 2007 in Japan, as a collaboration between the graphic designer Yoshihisa Tanaka (1980) and the sculptor Ryuta Iida (1981). Together they explore the concept of the photographic portrait. By combining photographic and sculptural techniques, the artists reveal a complexity that photography usually obscures.
Traditionally, a portrait presents a three-dimensional face on a flat plane. But Nerh… more Foam presents an exceptional and, until now, little-known theme in the voluminous oeuvre of the well-known Dutch painter Carel Willink. In the 1930s, he began to photograph the Amsterdam sky from his apartment and studio, overlooking the famous Rijksmuseum, to use as material for sketches. These clouded skies were hidden away for years in his archive of negatives managed by his widow Sylvia Willink-Quiël. There they stayed until last year when Willem van Zoetendaal, photography expert, boo… more
For their solo exhibition To Photograph the Details of a Dark Horse in Low Light, internationally highly acclaimed artists Adam Broomberg (South Africa, 1970) and Oliver Chanarin (Great Britain, 1971) lead viewers through a meandering and disturbing history lesson on the relationship between photography and race.
In response to a commission to 'document' Gabon, Broomberg and Chanarin made several trips to the West African country to photograph a series of rare initiation rit… more  Foam is proud to present the Netherlands' first solo exhibition by Belgian artist Geert Goiris (born Bornem, 1971). Very few people in the Netherlands are familiar with his unconventional visual language and serious tone.
Goiris occupies a unique position in the field of contemporary photography. His layered photos of sublime landscapes, modernist architecture and reserved portraits possess a strange, unreal beauty with no perception of time and space, and are vaguely reminiscent of the v… more Regine Petersen (b. 1976, Germany) was selected by an international jury as the most promising photographer at the Unseen international photography fair in 2014. As winner of the Outset|Unseen Exhibition Fund, Petersen has been awarded an exhibition in Foam's 3h space for young talent. Foam is proud to present her long-term project Find a Fallen Star in this space. Petersen is inspired by stories about falling meteorites and makes use of her strong narrative qualities in her work. Wit… moreNew Positions in American Photography New Positions in American PhotographyFoam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam and Pioneer Works Center for Art and Innovation proudly present Under Construction – New Positions in American Photography, a group exhibition featuring ten young American and Canadian visual artists who are all explicitly engaged in a fundamental reassessment of the value and significance of photography in the early 21st century. Even though the results of the artists' individual practices are very diverse, the mentality, methodology and presentation … more A homage to Frido TroostFoam presents a short-term exhibition on the publication of the photobook Shining in Absence. It is a special honour to the photography historian Frido Troost (1960 – 2013), who passed away in 2013. Both the book and the exhibition are edited and designed by the advertising specialist and curator Erik Kessels. The book is published by AMC Books (London) and will be presented on Thursday April 2, 2015 during the opening of the exhibition.
‘I wish you many happy returns of this day. … more Foam is proud to present a major solo exhibition of the famous Japanese photographer Araki. 'ARAKI Ojo Shashu - Photography for the Afterlife: Alluring Hell' gives a distinct reflection on Araki's oeuvre, renowned for the master's perpetual focus on daily life and his intertwining themes of Life (Sex) and Death. The exhibition comprises both his notorious early work, as well as very recent series that have never been shown in the Netherlands before. The exhibition offers a un… more Vivian Maier, Street Photographer is a retrospective exhibition featuring the work of a female street photographer whose impressive oeuvre was only discovered at the end of her life – and then immediately caused a worldwide sensation. Vivian Maier (New York, 1926 – 2009) worked as a professional nanny throughout her life. In her free time, she documented life in large American cities such as New York and Chicago, although no one in her immediate circle ever saw the results. She left … more Foam is proud to present the work of the Swedish
photographer JH Engström (1969) in the exhibition 'Close
Surrounding'. Engström divides his time between Paris, France and
his birthplace in Värmland, Sweden. The manoeuvring between the
slow pace of country life and the stimulating energy of the city is
essential in Engström's life. This is reflected in his pure and
authentic photographs and in the exhibition at Foam. The exhibition
includes unique, previously u… more New Positions in American PhotographyFoam presents 'Under Construction - New Positions in
American Photography', a group exhibition featuring the work of
nine young American and Canadian artists: Sara VanDerBeek, Lucas
Blalock, Joshua Citarella, Jessica Eaton, Daniel Gordon, Owen Kydd,
Matt Lipps, Matthew Porter and Kate Steciw. Even though the results
of the artists' individual artistic practices are very diverse, the
mentality, methodology and presentation of their work show a number
of remarkable similarities.
A … more In 2013 the Gieskes-Strijbis Fund and Foam awarded Doina
Kraal the Foam 3h Award to grant her the opportunity to create a
new work or to make an artists' book. This led to the project
'Touche-à-Tou't, a traveling installation that builds on her
multimedia installation 'In de
Rarekiek' which was presented in 2012 as part of the Foam 3h
program and which resulted in winning the 3h award. Touche-à-Tout
will be a similar, smaller, but new installation, with whi… more A special unit of the National People's Army in the
former DDR was tasked with the production of fake weaponry and the
development of camouflage techniques. After the reunion of Germany
this practice was continued and still exists today. The work of the
unit called 'Tarnen und Täuschen' (Disguise and Deception) consists
of creating impressions and experiences. Therefore their work can
be considered as an artistic intervention. The underlying principle
of 'Tarnen und T&au… more Foam welcomes the exhibition Shadows, Patterns,
Pears by the American artist Daniel
Gordon (b. 1980 Boston, USA). Gordon was chosen as
the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2014. This
prize is organised by Foam and awarded annually to a young,
promising international photographer under 35. The exhibition
features a selection of colorful portraits and still lifes, created
and photographed between 2010 and 2014.
The jury voted unanimously for Daniel Gordon whose work draws
from the classical genr… more In his exhibition Paintings and Sculpture, Egon van Herreweghe shows a different side to photography. In his inability to reproduce reality, his work reveals the creative process behind the evolution of autonomous images. The results of his studies are fleeting presentations and brief spatial interventions that cleverly show the status of the image and its genetic material. Over the past years, Egon van Herreweghe has been collecting photos and clippings from newspapers, magazines and books. He … more Foam presents two renowned and controversial projects by photographer and filmmaker Larry Clark. Tulsa (1971) and Teenage Lust (1983) are Clark's earliest bodies of work and reveal a youth culture, which at the time was totally unknown to the greater public. Images of sex, violence and drug use permeate both series, which were also published as books. At the time of their release, both projects caused a great deal of commotion due to the rawness of the images, but the truth of what th… more The Don't Stop Now: Fashion Photography Next exhibition, organised by Foam in collaboration with guest curator Magdalene Keaney, starts out from the fact that fashion photographers are first and foremost photographers. The exhibition provides a platform for a new generation of image-makers who work with fashion. Don't Stop Now: Fashion Photography Next offers an exciting glimpse into the wealth of contemporary practices in fashion photography, resulting in a dynamic, colourful and mult… more This year marks twenty years since the genocide in Rwanda. In light of this, Foam presents Love Radio, a transmedia exhibition of Eefje Blankevoort and Anoek Steketee about the complex process of reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda, told by means of the popular radio soap Musekeweya ('New Dawn'). The project Love Radio straddles the thin line between fact and fiction. The photographs and video-installations do not strictly adopt a documentary approach. The camera is not only being used to r… more Belgian Autumn. A confabulated
history is a visual research into one of the
greatest enigmas in Belgian history: The Gang of Nivelles, also
known as the Brabant killers. Based on objective information from
police reports, files and newspaper clippings as well as
eyewitnesses and personal accounts about the violent crimes of the
gang, documentary photographer Jan Rosseel (Brussels, 1979) has
reconstructed events that took place almost thirty years
ago. At Foam, and in
collaboration with artist Mi… more Daisuke Yokota is part of a leading young generation of Japanese photographers. This exhibition presents work from his Site/Cloud series . His images in predominantly black and white - sometimes with a subtle hint of colour - show a haunting, indefinable world with shadowy, anonymous apparitions and nondescript places, contrasted with sublime, colourful representations of skies and clouds which evoke feelings of timelessness.
With his strongly contrasted black-and-white photography, Yokota se… more Foam is proud to present Reflected - Works from the Foam Collection, the first exhibition of works selected from its own collection. Foam has been collecting photography actively since 2007. The collection has been growing steadily and now, comprises more than 400 photos. Films and photography-related installations are also well represented. The collection is an active and dynamic part of Foam and a reflection of its exhibition programme, in which the emphasis is placed on the support, signallin… more In her multimedia installation Domestic Science, Annegien van Doorn sets in motion everyday substances such as toothpaste, custard and mayonnaise. In 3h, Foam's exhibition space for young international talent, she presents photographic and video work which establishes relationships between ordinary, everyday and banal objects from our daily lives. The objects that Van Doorn uses in her work move beyond their day-to-day function and thus take on a new form. Domestic objects that are usually … more Foam presents The Enclave by Richard Mosse, a major new multi-media installation which represented Ireland at the 55th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. The installation consists of six large screens which represent the conflict situation in Congo, shot with infrared film that was designed for camouflage detection resulting in vibrant, psychedelic magenta coloured sites of the jungle war zone. Besides the film installation, related photo works are presented.
Throughout 2012… more In 2013, the annual Foam Paul Huf Award was awarded to the Swiss duo Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs (b. 1979). The international jury was deeply impressed: "As true illusionists intent on pushing against the boundaries of the medium, Onorato & Krebs skillfully engage their audiences and convey some of the magic that lies at the core of photographic image-making." Foam is proud to present Adding, Adding, Adding including brand new work by this duo, as part of the award.
Onorato &a… more In 3h, Foam's project space for young international talent, Ola Lanko presents her latest project All year round, a novel study and representation of the notion of time. It consists of 365 photographic works of the same view of the IJ waterway in Amsterdam, offering a literal overview of a year. It acts as a visual archive of all the details and events recorded by the camera during that period of time. The project is presented as a spatial installation, offering both the opportunity to experienc… more Kaveh Golestan (1950-2003) was an important and prolific Iranian documentary photographer and a pioneer of street photography. His photographic practice has hugely informed the work of future generations of Iranian artists but has remained seriously over-looked in Europe. Kaveh Golestan - The Citadel presents 45 vintage photographs from the series entitled Prostitute taken between 1975-1977 of women working in the Citadel of Shahr-e No, the red light district of Teheran. The photographs will be … more Foam finishes 2013 with a unique retrospective exhibition of the work of William Klein. The entire museum will be dedicated to the life and work of this legendary photographer, filmmaker and designer. The career of William Klein (b. 1928) spans more than sixty years. His work had an immense influence on photography during the second half of the twentieth century. The exhibition gives ample coverage to Klein’s ground-breaking work in New York in the 1950s while also displaying work made in… more40 years of Dutch Magazine Photography Photographer Cristina De Middel (1975, Spain) chose as the starting point for her project The Afronauts a little-known episode from Zambia's history. This was a space programme started by an educator which suddenly entered Zambia in the space race with the United States and Russia. Its aim was to put the first African on the moon. Due to a lack of financial resources, however, the ambitious initiative was doomed to failure. Fifty years later, De Middel reconstructs this story, using her own… more Foam proudly presents a solo exhibition by the American photographer Lee Friedlander (1934, US). This exhibition features the series America by Car and The New Cars 1964. The automobile has come to symbolize the American dream and the associated urge for freedom. It is therefore no surprise that cars play a central role in both series, now receiving their first showing in the Netherlands.
Road Trip
America by Car documents Friedlander's countless wanderings around the United States over the pas… more 40 years of Dutch Magazine PhotographyThis exhibition presents an overview of forty years of photography from leading Dutch magazines as reflected by the work of five photographers: C. Barton van Flymen, Bart van Leeuwen, Boudewijn Neuteboom, Bart Nieuwenhuijs and Peter van der Velde. They determined for a significant part the look of lifestyle magazines from the last 40 years. Their work, commissioned by magazines such as Avenue, Elegance, Avantgarde and Nieuwe Revu, had a great influence on advertising and fashion photography in t… more The Dalston Anatomy exhibition by Lorenzo Vitturi is an ode to the sensual pleasures of the bustling London’s Ridley Road Market. “The market is a unique place where you can get to understand the people of Dalston in Hackney. Everyone together in this place makes it feel special.”
Near this vibrant and kaleidoscopic market is the studio of Lorenzo Vitturi (1980, Venice Italy) located. The photographer spent time at the market taking pictures, making sculptures and creatin… more With his publication Handbook to the Stars (2012) as starting point for the eponymous Foam 3h exhibition, the Hungarian artist Peter Puklus (1980) attempts to portray his own universe and to provide insight into how his photographic works relate to each other: like galaxies in relative proximity to one another that are bound together by their own gravitational force. The images function alongside each another and through one another, have no sequence or chronology, but exist individually even as… more This summer Foam presents a series of new work by Marnix Goossens (b. Leeuwarden, 1967). In the exhibition Yonder. Goossens concentrates on surrogate nature in slightly run-down interiors, showing man’s secret yearnings for exotic destinations and snow-covered mountains in the form of palm-print wallpaper and decorative posters. Nature is a constant source of inspiration for Goossens, yet he makes no use of spectacular panoramic views or untouched wildernesses. Instead he uses tiles with p… more Photographs '72-'80Bowie by Duffy
Photographs ’72 – ’80
20 June – 6 October 2013
During this summer &Foam, Foam’s project space at the Vijzelstraat, will exhibit an exclusive selection of images of David Bowie made by the late legendary fashion photographer Brian Duffy. Between 1972 and 1980 Duffy worked with Bowie on five of his most famous album covers - including the iconic imagery for Aladdin Sane and Lodger. The exhibition gives an insight into the creative process with a va… more What do you do when you have just graduated from art school and you have to set up your own studio, but you cannot afford any expensive equipment? What if you always work together, always share everything, but do not have a system? Photographers’ duo Otto Kaan turned this practical problem into an aesthetic solution. In Foam 3h the duo presents four new projects in the exhibition Works. Otto Kaan consists of Berend Otto (1985) and Guus Kaandorp (1986).
More information: www.foam.org/press… more Infidel is the first exhibition of award winning photographer Tim Hetherington (UK, 1970-2011) in the Netherlands. He was tragically killed in Libya whilst covering the conflict. Foam presents a selection of his photographs and videos, drawn from the series Sleeping Soldiers, Infidel and Diary. In his work Hetherington focused on the experience of military combat, both from the perspective of ordinary soldiers and the civilians caught up in the conflict. Through his photographs, writing and film… more the Condé Nast Years, 1923–1937This exhibition, with more than two hundred unique vintage photos, represents a high point in Steichen’s long photographic career. The works that he made throughout this period for the influential magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair are some of the most impressive creations of the twentieth century. Next to the fashion photographs the exhibition contains impressive portraits by celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Cecil B. DeMille, Winston Churchill and Marlene Dietrich. These works have been br… more This spring Foam 3h will premiere Memento, the latest series by Lara Dhondt. In her work, Dhondt documents forgotten and found objects, materials and locations in the urban landscape. She does this in an effort to give marginal places a human dimension or dignity. Dhondt’s interventions seem casual and are often nearly invisible. If one looks very closely, however, the care and precision with which the interventions are constructed become clear. The exhibition in Foam will feature black-an… more The exhibition Best Before End by the British photographer Stephen Gill (Bristol, 1971) incorporates a number of photographic series that Gill made in and around the London Borough of Hackney over the past fourteen years. Having made straight descriptive photographic studies for many years, his approach shifted as he discovered the limitations of this type of aesthetic to convey all ideas. Gill made various attempts to jump outside the technical boundaries that photography imposed. He began to w… more With her project Look At Me And Tell Me If You Have Known Me Before Dutch photographer Monica Nouwens dedicated herself to portraying the ambivalent appeal of one of the world’s largest cities: Los Angeles. As the sunlight fades and the twilight appears, the city turns into an entrancing wonderland whose charm can disappear in the blink of an eye. Her work condenses a mixture of roughness, sensuality and emotional moments and turns it into a fragile but timeless image of beauty and the hum… more The Asmat in the Indonesian part of New Guinea (previously Dutch New Guinea) is a largely impassable mangrove swamp, roughly the same size as The Netherlands. The native inhabitants still live here, isolated from the rest of the world. Visual artist Roy Villevoye and photographer Koos Breukel visited the small hamlet of Tí together at the end of 2011. This small village is situated on the upper reaches of the Unir river in the northeastern part of the Asmat. Tí can be reached by sa… more Sara Cwynar (CA, 1985) combines photographic images with installations, collages and sculptures. She has a constant need to collect photographs, objects and all kinds of ephemera, which she then re-arranges and documents. Sara Cwynar currently lives and works in New York.
http://www.foam.org/press/2013/foam-3h-sara-cwynar-everything-in-the-studio-(destroyed) more Foam presents the series Canary by the Japanese photographer Lieko Shiga. In her work Shiga combines local myths and stories from people with personal memories, emotions and experiences. She creates fantastic and often dramatic images which refer to the twilight between dreams and reality. Her obscure work is strongly rooted in the Japanese folkloristic tradition to present the supernatural as an obvious presence. Shiga belongs to a new generation of Japanese photographers, her photographs are c… more Foto Galatasaray is based on a selection from the complete professional archive of
Maryam Şahinyan (Sivas, 1911 – Istanbul, 1996), who worked as a photographer at her modest studio inGalatasaray, Beyoğlu in Istanbul uninterruptedly from 1935 until 1985. The archive is a unique inventory of the demographic transformations occurring on the sociocultural map of Istanbul after the declaration of the Republic and the historical period it witnessed; it is also a chronological record… more This exhibition is organised as part of Netherlands-Russia 2013. The title refers to the flower that grows in different colours from early spring. The exhibition offers an overview of different kinds of colour photography in Russia from the 1850s until the end of the twentieth century. The selection of more than two hundred works vary from coloured albumen prints, salt prints and collodion prints to gelatin silver prints and the first real colour photography.
Recent practices by Anatoly … more Foam 3H: Me & My Models - Jan Hoek
Foam proudly presents the first 3h exhibition of the new year, Me & My Models, by Jan Hoek. Jan Hoek has photographed amateur models, mentally ill homeless people in Africa, an attention-seeking girl with no arms and legs, a heroin addict who dreams of being a model, or people he has simply found in advertisements on the internet. The photo shoot is never what he expected, model and photographer always have different expectations. The model act… more One Group Show - WassinkLundgren
One Group Show is the first major solo exhibition by Dutch photographer duo, WassinkLundgren. This exhibition will present a broad overview of their work, including projects shown for the first time.
The work of WassinkLundgren develops from small observations or humorous twists of situations from everyday life. Their starting point is always a social interest in the world around them, but equally interesting to them is how the medium of photography can deform r… more Toneel Groep Amsterdam
Foam and Toneelgroep Amsterdam present the exhibition inbetweens by Jan Versweyveld. The exhibition at Foam is part of Toneelgroep Amsterdam’s jubilee year celebrating its 25th
anniversary.For Foam, Versweyveld has selected work that is a major departure from conventional theatre photography. For the first time in his career, the spotlight will be on Versweyveld’s unique double role as scenographer and chronicler of Toneelgroep Amsterdam. In line with… more Museum Van Loon, located across the Keizersgracht from Foam, graciously opened its rooms to Foam in 2005 and 2009. Because Foam is temporarily closing its doors in the autumn of 2012 to prepare for a major Diane Arbus retrospective, Foam invited Dutch photographer Daniëlle van Ark to let herself be inspired by the house of the Van Loon family. The result is an exceptional exhibition, Foam in Van Loon III, Daniëlle van Ark.The outward display of social status, wealth, fame, mortality an… more Diane Arbus (1923–1971) revolutionized the art she practiced. Her bold subject matter and photographic approach produced a body of work that is often shocking in its purity, in its steadfast celebration of things as they are. Her gift for rendering strange those things we consider most familiar, and for uncovering the familiar within the exotic, enlarges our understanding of ourselves.
Arbus found most of her subjects in New York City, a place that she explored as both a known geography … more Alex Prager wins Foam Paul Huf Award 2012 On March 13th Alex Prager (b. 1979, USA) was chosen as the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2012 by an international jury. This annual prize given to a photography talent under 35 years consists of € 20.000 and an exhibition in Foam Amsterdam. Prager’s work will be on show in Foam from August 31st to October 14th, 2012.The Foam Paul Huf Award continues to attract portfolios from all over the world. Out of 100 nominees this year, 49 were from… more Erik Kessels - Album Beauty 29 June – 14 October 2012Album Beauty is an ode to the vanishing era of the photo album as told through the collection of Erik Kessels (1966, The Netherlands). Once commonplace in every home, the photo album has been replaced by the digital age where images live online and on hard drives. Photo albums were once a repository for family history, often representing a manufactured family as edited for display. They speak of birth, death, beauty, sexuality, prid… more Alumni of the RijksakademieAlumni of the Rijksakademie | RE-Search 31 August - 14 October 2012The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam (in 1870 established by law) is an artists’ institute for selected national and international top talent. It’s name refers to the classical Akademia, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. Rijksakademie creates an environment in which artists can concentrate on research, experimental and creating progre… more Alex Prager | Compulsion31 August – 14 October 2012On 31 August, Foam welcomes a new exhibition by Alex Prager (Los Angeles, 1979). Prager is the winner of the 2012 Foam Paul Huf Award. This prize is organised by Foam and awarded annually to a young, promising international photographer under 35. Part of the prize is an exhibition at Foam. Compulsion will be presented at Foam from 31 August to 14 October. The exhibition will feature a selection of colour photographs from the series, … more Foam 3h: Joss McKinley | Gathering wool 31 August – 14 October 2012Opening on 30 August, Foam 3h presents Gathering Wool. This project by English photographer Joss McKinley (1981) will make its debut in Foam. ‘Gathering wool’ means daydreaming, originating from the time when farmers’ wives and daughters gathered the wool left behind by sheep in the bushes and heaths. During these quiet moments they were able to put their thoughts in order and to daydream. McKinley&… more Petra Noordkamp - La Madre29 June – 2 September 2012In the project La Madre, photographer and filmmaker Petra Noordkamp (1967) shows her most recent, not previously exhibited work. The impetus for La Madre was Noordkamp’s short relationship in the mid-1990s with Emilio Quaroni, son of the well-known Italian architect and urban planner Ludovico Quaroni. After her contact with Emilio deteriorated, Noordkamp discovered in 2001 that Emilio had murdered his own mother in the same year. Th… more Foam 3h: Rico & Michael - Double Extension Beauty Tubes29 June – 29 AugustRico Scagliola (1985, Switzerland) and Michael Meier (1982, Switzerland) have taken pictures and have filmed teenagers for more than two years, creating their archive of photographs and videos of today’s Facebook generation. Images from this archive have been combined into an installation called Double Extension Beauty Tubes. More than a thousand pictures are being presented in a dark space on ten iPads.Mor… more 8 June – 23 August 2012Ron Galella – Paparazzo Extraordinaire! "My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something infamous. That's why my favorite photographer is Ron Galella". (Andy Warhol) This summer Foam presents a major exhibition of work by Ron Galella, pioneer of paparazzi photography. The exhibition features photos of stars including Mick Jagger, Jackie Onassis, Greta Garbo, Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, Andy Warhol,… more Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs Light of Other Days 8 June - 22 August 2012 The Swiss duo Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs (1979) are viewed by many as one of the most promising teams in contemporary photography. Since 2003 the pair have worked together on a variety of projects on the cutting edge of photography, sculpture and installation art. Their work provides intelligent and often ironic commentary on the history of photography, the nature of photos, how cameras operate and the role of the… more Foam 3h: Nina Poppe - Ama11 may – 27 june 2012Photographer Nina Poppe (Germany, 1979) has spent a significant and intensive amount of time together with the Ama. These legendary fisherwomen of the Japanese island of Ise-Shima dive for Abalone, using no equipment, in water that is up to 30 metres deep. Abalone is a type of sea snail that is considered a delicacy and that commands high prices. The diving is dangerous and tiring, yet the divers often continue to practise their trade into old … more Bertien van Manen | Let’s sit down before we go 19 March 2012 - 24 June 2012This spring Foam will present the solo exhibition Let’s sit down before we go by Bertien van Manen (1942). More than 60 photos will be on show, created between 1991 and 2009. During that time, Van Manen regularly and extensively travelled with a small 35mm camera through Russia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Tatarstan and Georgia. She stayed for long periods with the people she met on her travel… more Cocurated by Kathy Ryan and Lesley A. MartinThe New York Times Magazine Photographs Cocurated by Kathy Ryan and Lesley A. Martin
23 March – 30 May 2012For over thirty years, the New York Times Magazine has presented the myriad possibilities and applications of photography. The New York Times Magazine Photographs is an exhibition that reflects upon and interrogates the very nature of both photography and print magazines at this pivotal moment in their history and evolution. The exhibition is cocurated by Kathy Ryan, lo… more Foam 3H: Stéphanie SolinasSans Titre (Monsieur Bertillon)23 March - 9 May 2012In Sans Titre (Monsieur Bertillon), Stéphanie Solinas (France, 1978) investigates the identification system invented by Alphonse Bertillon in the 1880's. Bertillon (Paris, 1853 - 1914) was a French police officer who developed "judicial anthropometry", based on physical measurements and photography. Anthropometrics was the first scientific system to be used by police to identify criminals (… more For the last two years, Pavel Prokopchik has been following a group of young people in Russia who have chosen an alternative lifestyle away from politics and a materialistic society. After spending several months living with them, a document emerged about free-thinking people that willingly deny the comfortable lifestyle and the possession of things. It is particularly interesting in a country that is caught between a strictly controlled society and capitalism. Some of the main characters … more Arnon Grunberg | Les vacances de Monsieur Grunberg10 February - 18 March 2012Summer holidays and photos are inextricably linked: the first thing that people pack, after their passport, tickets and money, is their camera. Les vacances de Monsieur Grunberg, a project by novelist Arnon Grunberg and visual artist Wendela Hubrecht, is now on show at. Les vacances is a sequel to Grunberg’s ‘embedment’ with various families from the Leidsche Rijn suburb in Utrecht. ‘Embedded&rsq… more Joel Sternfeld - Color Photographs since 1970 16 December 2011 - 14 March 2012 In mid-December Foam will present the first major retrospective exhibition in the Netherlands of the work of Joel Sternfeld (1944, New York), one of the pioneers of colour photography. Foam will be showing more than one hundred photos from ten different series in an exhibition spanning two floors. A highlight is Sternfeld's early work from the 1970s, which has never been previously exhibited. A large selec… more Sara-Lena Maierhofer - Dear Clark
16 December - 8 February 2012
In Dear Clark, Sara-Lena Maierhofer seeks rapprochement to a fraudster, a crook whose life consists of adopting and abandoning different identities. When she fails to arrange a meeting with the person in question, she decides to study him from a distance. Step by step, the artist comes closer to getting to know her subject; his appearance, his peculiarities, his intentions. How can one construct a profile of someone who constantly … more Stanley Greene - Black Passport
16 December - 5 February 2012
Foam presents Black Passport, a project by and about the American conflict photographer Stanley Greene (New York, 1949). Black Passport shows photos of conflicts and disasters combined with photos of Greene's private life. The result is a revealing portrait of a photographer who is addicted to the adrenaline rush of being on the move, but at the same time realises the sacrifices he makes in his personal life. Stanley Greene has phot… more Foam Talent 2011at Foam's new extra venue at the Vijzelstraat 78, AmsterdamFifteen exceptional young artists were chosen to be Foam Magazine's Talent of 2011. For the first time the work is also presented in exhibition form. The discovery and above all the presentation of work by young talents is one of the key purposes of Foam. Our annual Talent Call allows us to keep up to date with the activities of young photographers worldwide. The exhibition Talent 2011 therefore addresses developments, tr… more Guest curators: Lauren Cornell, Jefferson Hack, Erik Kessels, Alison NordströmWhat's Next? The Future of the Photography Museum Guest curators: Lauren Cornell, Jefferson Hack, Erik Kessels, Alison Nordström 5 november - 7 december 2011 Four concepts, four guest curators, four visionary presentations and one museum in which they all come together. Foam is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. For this occasion, Foam has created 'What's Next?', a project exploring the future of photography. Foam has posed the question of 'what'… more Foam 3h: Breno Rotatori - Habitar o tempo2 September - 26 October 2011As part of the Brasil Festival Amsterdam, Foam is showing the work of the young Brazilian photographer Breno Rotatori (Saõ Paulo, 1988) in Foam 3h. Rotatori makes photos and videos inspired by his daily surroundings. He creates poetic stories in an intuitive way that, through their special colour and use of light, carry the viewer into a world which lies between reality, remembrance and fiction. Habitar o tempo (live fo… more Foam Paul Huf Award 2011: Raphaël Dallaporta - Observation2 September - 26 October 2011French photographer Raphaël Dallaporta (b. 1980) received the Foam Paul Huf Award earlier this year from an international jury. The prize is organised by Foam and is awarded annually to up and coming international photographers below the age of 35. A major aspect of the award is an exhibition. Observation appears at Foam from 2 September to 26 October. Characteristic of the show's four series i… more Dutch Contemporary PhotographyStill/LifeDutch Contemporary Photography9 September to 26 October 2011This year, Foam celebrates its tenth anniversary. Just as the exhibition Foam opened with in 2001, Dutch Delight, Still-Life is a group exhibition with an art historical theme. Foam again presents work by Dutch photographers, this time still life, a collection of unanimated objects, being the central theme.As a theme, still life remains as relevant as ever in today's climate. For a wide group of contemporary (autonomous) … more At the invitation of Foam, Sophie Mörner, photographer and founder of Capricious Magazine, has created an exhibition of young (emerging) photographic talent from the United States. Capricious is a major innovative platform for contemporary photography.The exhibition Continuity of Chaos shows the work of Luke Gilford, Nicholas Gottlund, Aaron McElroy and Sarah Palmer. These young (emerging) photographers have all been inspired by the concept of 'chaos'. Chaos is often considered as… more Anton CorbijnInwards & Onwards23 June - 1 September 2011Foam is proud to present Anton Corbijn’s most recent photographic project. In it he has aimed the camera at a few of his favourite artists, including Gerhard Richter, Alexander McQueen, Richard Prince, Iggy Pop, Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst, Tom Waits, Peter Doig, Bruce Springsteen, Lucian Freud and Karel Appel. Corbijn’s love for the musical and creative spirit is already well known. Collaborating on a short film (Some YoYo… more Foam 3h: Willem Popelier - Showroom Girls1 July until 31 August 2011Photographer Willem Popelier (Eindhoven, 1982) found by accident 91 photographs and two films made by two girls on a publicly accessible computer. This was the start of a long-running project in which Popelier researched the role of photography on the internet and in social media. The result is the exhibition, Showroom Girls, an intimate portrait of one of the girls in the form of pictures and texts by her hand that Popelier f… more Misha de Ridder (Alkmaar, 1971) has mades photographs and films in the extraordinary light of the subarctic Norwegian north, getting close to the earth's very heart. At this latitude, only sparse vegetation grows on the dark, craggy mountains. A sojourn in this landscape transforms the earth into a tactile planet: palpable, tangible. De Ridder investigates the expressive qualities of this polar landscape and light, but his work also addresses climatic and ecological extremes. The rugged landscap… more The Svart Metall series by Grant Willing (United States, 1987) is the result of an investigation into the Scandinavian 'Black Metal' subculture. This subculture, inspired by Pagan and Satanic ideologies, was mainly associated with violence, murder and church burnings in the 1990s - although much of this was unjustified. This is not, however, what Willing shows us in Svart Metall; instead he mostly depicts the shadowy, rebellious, and occult world which is at the heart of Scandinavian Black Metal… more Antiphotojournalism
Whilst it has become fashionable to lament the death of photojournalism, actual events suggest that something quite different is taking place. Photojournalism is in the midst of a remarkable, and singularly unexpected, renaissance. New practices, strategies, viewpoints, techniques, and agents have radically transformed the institutions and the fundamental concepts of the field.
The group exhibition Antiphotojournalism charts these new developments in exciting ways. Include… more Dana LixenbergSet Amsterdam25 March – 29 May 2011 In Set Amsterdam, Dana Lixenberg portrays the city in a series of landscapes and interiors. These photographs depict Amsterdam as a kind of film set, fashioned by its current and former residents. The absence of people in the images turns the viewer’s gaze to the space itself and to the myriad details which define these environments. In Set Amsterdam only traces of human activity hint at inhabitants and at lives fully lived. Lixenberg… more The series Blindschleiche und Riesenblatt by photographer Anne Schwalbe can be seen as an ode to slowness – an ode to nature, light and emptiness. Schwalbe photographs her surroundings intuitively, with no preconceived ideas. Compiled in a publication or hanging together in an exhibition, the photos become the lines of a poem. Photographed prose. Anne Schwalbe visualizes stillness, providing another voice and a welcome change from the contemporary visual bombardment. more This winter, Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents a retrospective containing work by W. Eugene Smith (US, 1918-1978). Smith has been hailed as the founder of the photographic essay. His extensive pictorial narratives, accompanied by captions and comments, appeared in magazines such as the world-famous American periodical Life in the 1950s, the heyday of photographic journalism. Smith’s black-and-white reportages exhibit a powerful sense of involvement, dealing with subject matter that … more Foam_3h presents work by Joris Jansen, winner of the 2009 Steenbergen Stipendium. Kosmos is an ode to analogue photography.The exhibition revolves around a single old analogue photo. This picture does not actually appear in the presentation, rather Jansen uses word and image to analyse all the information conveyed by the photo. The result is on the one hand a kind of encyclopaedia of everything relating to the photo. On the other, the material of the photo itself is examined. Using microscopic i… more For the project Landscapes without Memory Catalan artist Joan Fontcuberta (b. 1955, Barcelona) used software developed by the US Air Force. It translates two-dimensional cartographic data into a simulated three-dimensional image. Instead of feeding maps into the software, in Landscapes without Memory Fontcuberta inserts painted landscapes: from Gauguin to Van Gogh, from Cezanne to Turner and Constable. The software translates them into new, virtual landscapes that Fontcuberta calls ‘post-l… more Foam presents Your Hallucination Is Now Complete by fashion photographer Steven Klein as part of Amsterdam International Fashion Week. Your Hallucination Is Now Complete is a new video work by Steven Klein specially compiled for Hyères annual fashion and photography festival in 2010. This multimedia presentation is presented in the Westergoud building at Westergasterrein, near the catwalk shows. The presentation features a larger-than-life video clip in which static and moving images are … more Johan van der Keuken – Visual Narratives
One of best known photos by Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) is a dance scene on the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, taken during the ‘Quatorze Juillet’ celebration in 1958. This photo was first published in the book Paris Mortel (1964). Another 32 negatives were found in Van der Keuken’s archives, taken on the same day and the same spot. These never-before-published photos form the basis of the exhibition Johan van der Keuken – V… more Ahmet Polat
Foam presents the most recent project by photographer Ahmet Polat (Netherlands, 1978). The new generation of Turks often find themselves in between two worlds: tradition versus modernity, religion versus individualism, maintaining the status quo versus regeneration. While many Turkish families lead a traditional life, they feel the pull of a more individualistic and Western lifestyle. The complex political debate on EU membership places pressure on this young country to conform to c… more Jim Goldberg – Open See
Open See is the most recent project by Magnum photographer Jim Goldberg (USA, 1953). Goldberg’s work is characterized by a strong engagement with individuals on the fringes of society. Goldberg explores complex social problems in his work and often uses text as an fundamental element within the photo. Open See documents the experiences of people who have left their homelands which were ravaged by the violence of war and severe social and economic problems in … more Foam 3h: Eva Marie Rødbro - Lone Stars
For the Foam_3h exhibition Lone Stars Danish photographer Eva Marie Rødbro (1980) travelled to Texas to photograph and film youngsters and their daily lives. Rødbro captures these young adults in a stage between childhood and adulthood, busy visiting each other and merely killing time while searching for intimacy and identity. Rødbro shows their restlessness and uncertainty. The series Lone Stars is a patchwork of portraits, lan… more Foam Paul Huf Award 2010: Alexander Gronsky
On 27 August an exhibition opens by the Russian photographer Alexander Gronsky (1980), winner of the Paul Huf Award 2010. This photography prize, organised by Foam, is awarded annually to an international talent under the age of 35. The prize includes an exhibition in Foam. Gronsky was awarded the prize for his post-Soviet landscape work which he made between 2007 and 2010. The exhibition features work from the series Less than One and The Edge.
Less… more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam proudly presents a survey of the work of the world famous photographic duo of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Inez and Vinoodh began their work together in 1986 in Amsterdam. Now, 25 years later, with their campaigns for fashion houses such as YSL, Chanel, Balmain, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chloé, and with regular publications in W Magazine, Vogue and The New York Times, they are amongst the most important photographers in the world today. They are amongs… more Foam_3h: Simon Wald-Lasowski
For your eyes only
4 June - 25 August 2010
Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam launches on June 4 a dynamic exhibition of work by Simon Wald-Lasowski (b. Paris, 1980). For this series Wald-Lasowksi drew inspiration from 'the eye'. He set himself the challenge to reinterpret this theme, a recurring subject in art history and religion. In the course of the show, Wald-Lasowski will invite artists, designers and writers to respond to the presentation. The works that emerge… more Blossfeldt (Germany, 1865) was self-taught and since his youth a great lover of nature. As sculptor and modeller in a foundry for artwork, he used flowers and plants as inspiration for decorations. His participation in a study project in Italy under the guidance of Moritz Meurer in the 1890s became a turning point in his career for it was during this project that Blossfeldt began to systematically collect and photograph plants.
His documentation served an artistic rather than scientific purpose… moreFoam presents the 'Vrolik Collection' as photographed by Hans van den Bogaard. This private collection of Professor Gerardus Vrolik (1775-1859) and his son Professor Willem Vrolik (1801-1863) contains anatomical, pathological-anatomical, zoological and teratological specimens. After Willem Vrolik's death, the collection was under threat of public sale. In 1869, an Amsterdam citizens' committee managed to acquire the collection in its entirety, and turned it over to the city. The collection forms… more Ari Marcopoulos
It might seem familiar
This spring Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents an exhibition by the Amsterdam-born photographer and filmmaker, Ari Marcopoulos. Marcopoulos (b.1957, Amsterdam) set off for New York in 1979 and quickly became a significant documenter of alternative youth culture in America throughout the last three decades. Foam is showing work from his entire oeuvre, ranging from photos of the emerging hip-hop and downtown art scene in New York in the 1980s and the s… more Linus Bill (Switzerland, 1982) is an obsessive photographer, who photographs everything he encounters and values.
Especially for Foam Bill will produce an exhibition containing his best work filling all the wall space in the museum. That is, he will make a dummy of the exhibition spaces which will be presented in Foam_3h. more My Grandma was a Turtle is photographer Cuny Janssen’s latest project. The title refers to the Turtle clan of the matriarchic Delaware Indian tribe in Oklahoma. In 2008, Janssen visited the town of Bartlesville in Oklahoma to photograph children with Native American ancestors and their surroundings. Her motivation was curiosity about what traces of their origins could be seen in these modern native American children. Both her photos of people as well as the images of landscapes are candid, tim… more As part of Amsterdam International Fashion Week, Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam is showing the work of young fashion and portrait photographer Mylou Oord. A recurrent element in the exhibition is Oord's series on Amsterdam fashion journalist and style icon Aynouk Tan.
Oord's photography is characterized by a distinct style which well expresses the Zeitgeist of her generation. All her subjects come from the creative world, and the way she captures them clearly evidences a close relationship bet… more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents an unique retrospective of the world-famous Russian avant-garde artist Alexander Rodchenko. The exhibition will contain more then 200 vintage photographs some of which have never been exhibited in the West before. Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) is one of the great innovators of twentieth-century avant-garde art and one of its most versatile practitioners. Having first gained international acclaim as a painter, sculptor and graphic designer, Rodchenko too… more Foam presents an exhibition of work by a new generation of photographers who work with the medium of photography in a refreshingly uninhibited, unconventional and sometimes slightly anarchist way. Five young Dutch photographers: Constant Dullaart, Katja Mater, Jaap Scheeren, Corriëtte Schoenaerts and Anne de Vries use photography more as a medium, rather than a self-evident end product. In the exhibition Photography – in reverse they present mostly new work in which they combine different dis… more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents Concrete Dreams, a Foam_3h exhibition by Dieuwertje Komen and Elian Somers in which the photographers offer their vision of the urban landscape. The pictures are exhibited in a variety of ways: Somers presents her work in an installation using light boxes and brief texts, while Komen combines her photos with a text essay written by architect Martino Tattara.Somers and Komen have the same perspective: architecture and urban infrastructure. Somers examines … more Foam_3h: Jan-Dirk van der Burg - Sex Cinema Venus
10 November 2009 - 16 December 2009
Sex Cinema Venus is the oldest sex cinema in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, which will soon disappear as a result of the regeneration plans of the city council. Using a slide show and several single photographs Van der Burg portrays in Sex Cinema Venus the stories that have taken place behind the closed doors of this particular cinema. more On Thursday October 29 the exhibition Darkness & Light containing the work of Dutch photographer Sanne Sannes (1937-1967) will open at Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. Sannes earned a name for himself in the early 1960s with his grainy, erotic portraits. He was viewed as an extremely promising photographer of the new generation, characterized by the freedom of the Sixties. Women were his favourite subjects and an endless source of inspiration. In a nearly obsessive way, he photographed them tim… more The exhibition PRUNE – abstracting reality focuses on the complex but intriguing relationship between realism and abstraction in contemporary photography. The exhibition includes only photographic work that is based on reality but which depicts this reality with a greater or lesser degree of abstraction. On show in the exhibition is work that first and foremost can be appreciated for its abstract, formal qualities, such as form, colour and composition. Only afterward does the viewer recognise … more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents Paradis: the first major retrospective of the work of Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas (b. 1977, Vlaardingen). Dumas makes serene, intimate portraits of animals. For the first time, Dumas presents a selection from the various series of animal portraits she has made in recent years. Shown here in a single exhibition, a new relationship emerges between the portraits of horses, wolves, tigers and other animals, highlighting the connection between the diffe… more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents the Foam_3h exhibition Mindscapes by Saskia Dommisse. The images in this series, which Dommisse herself calls 'landscapes of the imagination', have their origins in landscape, but have been reduced to abstract fields of colour by the photographer. The images are intentionally minimalist and devoid of figurative elements, inviting viewers to supply their own interpretation.For the Mindscapes series Dommisse has allowed herself to be inspired by her surroun… more Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents In the Shadow of Things, an exhibition by photographer Leonie Purchas (b. 1978, United Kingdom). In March 2009, Purchas was chosen by an international jury as winner of the KLM Paul Huf Award. This prize for young international photographers, organised annually by Foam, includes an exhibition at the museum. Since graduating, Purchas has focused on the complex relationships within families in different parts of the world. She tries to portray the contact b… moreGuest curator Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography at The New York Times MagazineThe Hyena Men / Honey Collectors Forensic Photography from Amsterdam's Police Archive 1960-1986 World Press Photo 50 yearsPhotographs taken by12 materclass students on the theme Faith 20 Foam Talents selected for annual Talent issue
The fifteenth edition of Foam Magazine’s Talent issue presents a selection of outstanding artists, each in their own way feeling the pulse of our times. In spite of the many challenges humankind was confronted with in 2020, Foam counted the highest number of submissions yet: 1803 entries, from 72 countries - each of which represented a message in a bottle from different parts of the world, which felt more fractured than ever. This year’s common, underlying theme is a close, sharp look at one… more |
