Photography in reverse
27 Nov 2009 - 21 Feb 2010
PHOTOGRAPHY IN REVERSE
27 November 2009 - 21 February 2010
Foam presents an exhibition of work by five young Dutch photographers: Jaap Scheeren, Katja Mater, Anne de Vries, Corriлtte Schoenaerts and Constant Dullaart. They represent a new generation of photographers who work with the medium of photography in a refreshingly uninhibited, unconventional and sometimes slightly anarchist way. In this work they use photography more as a medium, rather than a self-evident end product.
A major motivation for organizing this exhibition are the fundamental changes the medium of photography has gone through in recent years, as the result of digitalization, and with it the ever-expanding options for rapid reproduction and exchange of images, the manipulative power of the medium’s digitalized landscape and the consequences of all this for the photographer’s professional practice. These developments have not only caused questions to arise regarding authenticity, originality and authorship – the photographic image itself has acquired another status.
The five photographers in this exhibition are part of a generation of photographers and artists who make use of and provide commentary on the developments referred to above. This they do for example by combining an increasing number of disciplines with each other: photography and internet, materialized images such as a photo print with projections and video, and spatial work such as an installation with the flat surface of a photo.
Foam believes now is the time to devote attention to these developments through means of an exhibition with a primary focus on the new, uninhibited engagement with photography as digitalized imagery. Because collaboration and using a variety of disciplines are essential to do justice to this trend, it is only logical to choose a group of exhibition participants who know each other, have worked together in the past and share a similar mentality. At the same time, it is essential that each of the participants have a distinct identity, have their own ideas and bring a clear measure of added value to the group as a whole.
A range of conceptual common ground can be found among these artists: images are often constructed to create a world entirely of their own, often with a slightly surrealist or absurdist accent; the interplay between fiction and non-fiction is experimented with and the limits of photographic language are explored. The influence of mass media is also clearly present in the work of these photographers and the influence of new media apparent in the subject matter of their work. Each of the photographers is searching for his or her own unique and often innovative engagement with the medium of photography, which can generate the unexpected when exhibited.
Constructions within the space, projections, moving images and installations make up a significant part of the exhibition, in addition to more conventional methods of exhibition. All participants have produced new work exclusively for this exhibition, in some cases complemented by already-existing work.
Corriette Schoenaerts (1977) constructs her photos from various layers, together creating a new image. She calls this process ‘compression’, from which she forms an organized chaos. The image that the viewer sees is dependent on his or her way of looking: whether the viewer specifically focuses on a single layer or on the work as a whole. Of primary significance in the exhibition are the interventions in space (on a three-dimensional level) which are reduced to a two-dimensional focal plane.
Katja Mater (1979) also often works with installations and focuses on the medium of photography itself: its technical characteristics, as well as its limitations that are in fact the result of those same characteristics. These address the passage of time and synchronicity, as well as two- and three-dimensionality. Mater challenges conventional concepts about photography and conventional ways of viewing photography.
Anne de Vries (1977) creates new worlds, inspired by new media and our technical culture. De Vries departs from an abstract, technical concept which he explores by expressly working with extremely commonplace means. His work has an anarchist tone, adverse to conventions and good taste.
Jaap Scheeren (1979) uses media as a source of inspiration, investigating how he as a photographer can translate the information from interesting articles into photos. In this exhibition, Scheeren investigates how he can manipulate the perception of his work by presenting it in different ways. Humour is a key element in Scheeren’s work.
Constant Dullaart (1979) focuses on the changes that the digital age has brought about in the medium of photography. Dullaart is an internet artist who experiments with the visual language of new media, including the internet. He is presently investigating the influence of Photoshop image manipulation on contemporary visual language.
27 November 2009 - 21 February 2010
Foam presents an exhibition of work by five young Dutch photographers: Jaap Scheeren, Katja Mater, Anne de Vries, Corriлtte Schoenaerts and Constant Dullaart. They represent a new generation of photographers who work with the medium of photography in a refreshingly uninhibited, unconventional and sometimes slightly anarchist way. In this work they use photography more as a medium, rather than a self-evident end product.
A major motivation for organizing this exhibition are the fundamental changes the medium of photography has gone through in recent years, as the result of digitalization, and with it the ever-expanding options for rapid reproduction and exchange of images, the manipulative power of the medium’s digitalized landscape and the consequences of all this for the photographer’s professional practice. These developments have not only caused questions to arise regarding authenticity, originality and authorship – the photographic image itself has acquired another status.
The five photographers in this exhibition are part of a generation of photographers and artists who make use of and provide commentary on the developments referred to above. This they do for example by combining an increasing number of disciplines with each other: photography and internet, materialized images such as a photo print with projections and video, and spatial work such as an installation with the flat surface of a photo.
Foam believes now is the time to devote attention to these developments through means of an exhibition with a primary focus on the new, uninhibited engagement with photography as digitalized imagery. Because collaboration and using a variety of disciplines are essential to do justice to this trend, it is only logical to choose a group of exhibition participants who know each other, have worked together in the past and share a similar mentality. At the same time, it is essential that each of the participants have a distinct identity, have their own ideas and bring a clear measure of added value to the group as a whole.
A range of conceptual common ground can be found among these artists: images are often constructed to create a world entirely of their own, often with a slightly surrealist or absurdist accent; the interplay between fiction and non-fiction is experimented with and the limits of photographic language are explored. The influence of mass media is also clearly present in the work of these photographers and the influence of new media apparent in the subject matter of their work. Each of the photographers is searching for his or her own unique and often innovative engagement with the medium of photography, which can generate the unexpected when exhibited.
Constructions within the space, projections, moving images and installations make up a significant part of the exhibition, in addition to more conventional methods of exhibition. All participants have produced new work exclusively for this exhibition, in some cases complemented by already-existing work.
Corriette Schoenaerts (1977) constructs her photos from various layers, together creating a new image. She calls this process ‘compression’, from which she forms an organized chaos. The image that the viewer sees is dependent on his or her way of looking: whether the viewer specifically focuses on a single layer or on the work as a whole. Of primary significance in the exhibition are the interventions in space (on a three-dimensional level) which are reduced to a two-dimensional focal plane.
Katja Mater (1979) also often works with installations and focuses on the medium of photography itself: its technical characteristics, as well as its limitations that are in fact the result of those same characteristics. These address the passage of time and synchronicity, as well as two- and three-dimensionality. Mater challenges conventional concepts about photography and conventional ways of viewing photography.
Anne de Vries (1977) creates new worlds, inspired by new media and our technical culture. De Vries departs from an abstract, technical concept which he explores by expressly working with extremely commonplace means. His work has an anarchist tone, adverse to conventions and good taste.
Jaap Scheeren (1979) uses media as a source of inspiration, investigating how he as a photographer can translate the information from interesting articles into photos. In this exhibition, Scheeren investigates how he can manipulate the perception of his work by presenting it in different ways. Humour is a key element in Scheeren’s work.
Constant Dullaart (1979) focuses on the changes that the digital age has brought about in the medium of photography. Dullaart is an internet artist who experiments with the visual language of new media, including the internet. He is presently investigating the influence of Photoshop image manipulation on contemporary visual language.