'Layer', 2018, AdeY. Courtesy of Fotogallerie Vasli Souza.
Returning this September for its eighth edition, Unseen Amsterdam, has cemented its position as one of the most influential photography events in Europe. An international platform dedicated to contemporary photography, Unseen shines a light on both upcoming and already established photographers.Running from 20-22 September, Unseen Amsterdam is not to be missed. Here are our favourite picks from this year’s programme, including Kyle Weeks at Red Hook Labs and Christto & Andrew at Metronom.
Christto & Andrew—Metronom
'Message From Venus', 2018, Christto & Andrew. Courtesy of Metronom.
Strange and theatrical, visionary duo Christto & Andrew’s photographs bubble with surrealism: space-age shots of hands painted alien green are revamped with glitzy jewellery and long acrylic nails. The artists, hailing from The United States and South Africa, are based in Doha, and drew upon their experiences as expatriates when creating the series. “Their position as outsiders informs their non-conventional perspective on the Middle East,” says Unseen Amsterdam. With a series as entirely strange and surprising as this, “non-conventional” seems an understatement.
Izumi Miyazaki – Fotogalleri Vasli Souza
By the time she graduated from Musashino Art University in 2016, Izumi Miyazkai had somewhat of a cult following. During her studies Miyazaki had begun to post self-portrait photographs on Tumblr, amassing a loyal crowd of followers. The notoriety didn’t slow and just months after graduating she held her first solo-exhibition at wild project gallery in Luxembourg, beginning what would become a stream of exhibitions, editorials and a photobook in the artist’s name. Luckily, the tumblr wunderkind lives up to the hype. Miyazaki’s mesmerisingly grotesque series is set to be a highlight of Unseen Amsterdam.
Lia Darjes—Robert Morat Galerie
Berlin-born Lia Darjes’ still-life photography would not look out of place in the German capital’s Gemaldegalerie. Echoing the works of Dutch and Flemish masters, Darjes’ photography plays with dramatic lighting and shadows, resulting in photographs that exude an atmospheric darkness. Yet, something about Darjes’ work is a little off-kilter: the stylised layout of her fruits, the carefully placed pyramids of cucumbers, the not-yet discarded plastic containers. The result is something that feels at once deeply historical, but weirdly modern.
Kyle Weeks—Red Hook Labs
'Cedric', Kyle Weeks, 2018. Courtesy of Red Hook Labs.
Another photographer instilling his work with politicism, Kyle Weeks is intent on maintaining his subjects’ agency. Hailing from Namibia, Weeks’ photography explores the lasting and damaging effects of colonial dynamics, and his recent series Palm Wine Collectors, is compellingly non-voyeuristic. When photographing the Makalani palm harvesters of northern Namibia, Weeks bucked documentary trends by creating a series that is empowering as opposed to patronising. His portrait series Ovahimba Youth Self-Portraits, similarly refutes the longstanding colonial slant used to photograph Africans. A long-awaited breath of fresh air in photography, Weeks’ show at Unseen Amsterdam is on the top of our list.
Alexia Fiasco—Galerie Number 8
'GINA, MY AUNT, CRYING WOMAN, 1986', Alexia Fiasco, 2018. Courtesy of Galerie Number 8.
Informed by her upbringing in the Parisian suburbs, Alexia Fiasco’s photography is as socio-political, as it is aesthetically pleasing. After funding the Parisian girls collective “Fille De Blédard” (translated as daughters of immigrants), Fiasco has sought to emphasise the dynamism of young artists from ethnic minorities. Her work, a potent mixture of documentary and fine art photography, is arresting and timely.
Inka and Niclas—Dorothée Nilsson Gallery
'K4 Ultra HD I', Inka and Niclas, 2018. Courtesy of Dorothée Nilsson Gallery.
Finish and Swedish duo Inka and Niclas, are one of the better known names on this year’s programme. From winning both the Swedish Photo Book Prize in 2012, and the Swedish Book Art award in 2016, to being the subject of 12 exhibitions in 2018 alone, the decorated pair have cemented their position as one of the most exciting duos in contemporary photography. And deservedly so. Their landscape photography is mind bending: they supplant strange optical illusions onto familiar landscapes to create hauntingly beautiful scenes. The result is haunting but beautiful, and absolutely worth seeing.
AdeY—Fotogalleri Vasli Souza
'Behavioural Addiction', AdeY, 2015. Courtesy of Fotogalleri Vasli Souza.
AdeY is keen to blur the lines. A Swedish/British multidisciplinary visual artist, AdeY revels in opacity. His work is said to “dance between photography and performance”, a fitting description which captures the sense of lightness in his imagery. Deeply intimate, AdeY’s work centres around the miniscule details of daily life and its struggles. The result is a tender and authentic portrayal of vulnerability and loneliness.
XING—A.I.
Alternative narratives are a running theme at this year’s festival, and XING is no different. Founded by Elizabeth Gabrielle Lee, XING is an online collective seeking to represent the lives of East and Southeast Asian women today. Lee established XING in order to combat societal misconceptions surrounding Asian women, specifically looking to challenge notions of fetisiation. The photography is striking—a blend of humour, eroticism and care. As XING say themselves, “We champion the vagabonds, challenge hegemony, and celebrate a oneness through imagery and prose.”
Unseen Amsterdam runs from 20-22 September.