| | | | | | | | Unsolved – Guilty Grounds, 2023
© Steffi Reimers | | | | | | | 1 December 2023 – 3 March 2024 | | | | Opening: Thursday, 30 November, 6 p.m. | | | | | | | ... until 31 January 2024 | | | Fonāna | | | | Contemporary female artists from Saudi Arabia | | | | | | | ... until 14 February 2024 | | | | | | | | | ... until 21 January 2024 | | | | | | | until 1 February 2024 MAQAM | | | | | | Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Keizersgracht 609 . 1017 DS Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20-5516500
[email protected]
www.foam.org
Mon-Wed 10am-6pm; Thu-Fri 10am-9pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Aspromonte – Guilty Grounds, 2023
© Steffi Reimers | | | | | | Foam 3h: Guilty Grounds | | | | 1 December 2023 – 3 March 2024 | | | Opening: Thursday, 30 November, 6 p.m.
a short presentation by the artist and curator, followed by an exclusive book signing | | | | Foam 3h presents the first solo exhibition of recently graduated Dutch photographer Steffi Reimers, the 7th recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Grant. 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. | | | | | | | | | | | Gunshot punctures – Guilty Grounds, 2023
© Steffi Reimers | | | | | | Reimers uses the concept of "Guilty Landscapes" to convey the complexity of this tragic history. She reveals the landscapes of Aspromonte National Park as silent witnesses to the pervasive influence of the 'Ndrangheta. Landscapes that were once untouched and peaceful now resonate with memories of events that have subtly left their mark.
This project highlights its unique use of forensic light, which reveals traces of atrocities and confronts the viewer with the uncomfortable truth. The addition of a 'prayer card' to the exhibition introduces a duality and highlights the role of faith and crime in the region. Although not the central theme, the prayer card serves to highlight the delicate balance between these two aspects and offers a narrative that invites deeper contemplation.
In a region where the mafia and its activities are denied, Guilty Grounds is a powerful reminder of a shocking part of Italian history, confronting the viewer with the uncomfortable truth. In this project, Reimers' choice to exclude human figures from her images is evident, which emphasises the landscapes all the more as both 'guilty' and 'testifying' entities. Each image bears silent witness to the events in Calabria and invites the viewer to join in and make their own interpretations.
Steffi Reimers (NL, 1995) completed an internship with documentary photographer Niels Stomps in 2020. In 2021, she obtained her bachelor's degree in photography from the Hogeschool voor Toegepaste Fotografie in Amsterdam. In the same year, she exhibited at the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam, and in 2022 she was one of the GUP New Dutch Photography Talents. In 2022, she published the book Aftermath for which she spent two months in Srebenica, impressively portraying the aftermath of the Yugoslavian civil war. Transience, trauma and loss are recurring themes in much of her work. Besides her free work, she has also been employed by the Netherlands Forensic Institute as a medical-forensic photographer since 2022. Here she documents forensic investigations and works with a specialised team to give a voice to victims of violence who can no longer express themselves.
Florentine Riem Vis Grant
Steffi Reimers is the seventh recipient of the Florentine Riem Vis Grant. The stipend was established in memory of Florentine Riem Vis (1959-2016) and is awarded annually to enable a young artist to further develop their artistic career. Previous recipients include Bebe Blanco Agterberg (2022), Karolina Wojtas (2021), Gilleam Trapenberg (2020), Solène Gün (2019), Rebecca Sampson (2018) and Stefanie Moshammer (2016/17). | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Woman of Tehuantepec (carrying jicalpextle), 1929, photo by Tina Modotti
Courtesy Throckmorton Fine Art, New York. | | | | | | Artist and Activist | | | | ... until 31 January 2024 | | | | 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 reflect her unwavering commitment to social causes. | | | | | | | | | Untitled, (Indians carrying loads of corn husks for the making of “tamales’) 1926-1929
photo by Tina Modotti / San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Donations from Art Supporting Foundation, John ≪ Launny ≫ Steffens,
Sandra Lloyd, Shawn and Brook Byers, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Jewett, Jr., and anonymous donors. | | | | | | Born in Italy, Modotti's journey led her to the epicenter of early 20th-century art and politics, from her early days as a silent film actress in Hollywood to her connections within the Mexican art movements where Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera played a central role. With her camera, Modotti captured the sights and people of Mexico, focusing on women, folklore and religious art. Her raw photographic work firmly positions her as a central figure in the world of Modernist photography. However, Modotti's story extends far beyond artistic frameworks. Her connection to revolutionary ideals pushes her to the forefront of social change. After settling in Moscow and joining the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, she gave up photography altogether in 1931 to devote herself to politics. Modotti passed away in 1942 at the age of 45. For decades after her life her talent was overshadowed by mysteries and the absence of biographical information. It turned her life into a legend.
The exhibition brings together close to 250 vintage prints on loan from 12 important international institutions and various private lenders and collections including illustrated magazines and original works by photographers from Modotti’s close circle, such as Edward Weston.
Untold stories by unknown icons
The exhibition Tina Modotti is the third in a series where Foam provides a platform to untold stories by unseen icons. Similar to Ernest Cole and Ara Güler earlier this year, Foam chooses to view history from a different perspective by providing a platform to artists who were overlooked or forgotten within the existing history of photography. For most of her life and after, the work by Tina Modotti was overshadowed by the influential and renowned photographer Edward Weston, who had introduced her to the field of photography. More recent research has found that photography by Weston and Modotti has often been difficult to distinguish from one another, sometimes wrongly assigning the famous Weston to a photograph. With this exhibition Foam provides Tina Modotti a stage to acknowledge her as one of the most dedicated and outstanding artists of her time. | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Salad Zone © Sarah Abu Abdallah / Greenbox Museum. | | | | | Fonāna | | | | Contemporary female artists from Saudi Arabia | | | | | | | ... until 14 February 2024 | | | | | | | | | | Sway, 2009 © Jowhara AlSaud / Greenbox Museum. | | | | | | Foam 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 country that, by Western standards, is often seen as conservative and of which the accessibility to outsiders is sometimes underestimated.
Fonāna serves as a platform for female artists from Saudi Arabia, offering an international audience a glimpse into their artistic perspectives as they navigate the multifaceted aspects of contemporary Saudi society, which include unique societal norms and local dynamics. Through their work they express personal concerns and explore their ideals. | | | | | | | | | | Recommerce, 2012 © Sarah Abu Abdallah / Greenbox Museum. | | | | | | The exhibition presents the work of the eight artists: Sarah Abu Abdallah (Saudi Arabia, 1990), Manal AlDowayan (Saudi Arabia, 1973), Reem Al Faisal (Saudi Arabia, 1973), Sara Alghesheyan (Saudi Arabia, 1993), Jowhara AlSaud (Saudi Arabia, 1978), Zahra Bundakji (Saudi Arabia, 1990), Sara Khoja (Saudi Arabia, 1978), and Maha Malluh (Saudi Arabia, 1959).
The exhibition Fonāna is initiated by Foam and made possible thanks to the Greenbox Museum. The Greenbox Museum, founded by Aarnout Helb, operates independently and free from governmental or external fund affiliations.
Fonāna can be seen from 17 November 2023 – 14 February 2024 at Foam. Open daily 10.00 - 18.00 hrs, Thurs/Fri 10.00 - 21.00 hrs. | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | © Carlijn Jacobs | | | | | | Sleeping Beauty | | | | ... until 21 January 2024 | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | | | Generated by DALL·E by OpenAI, prompt and photo © Carlijn Jacobs. | | | | | | 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 Venetian carnival to today's beauty and fashion scene dominated by social media, influencers and make-up tutorials.
Jacobs: "I am fascinated by the idea of the mask. You hide behind something and can become someone else. The whole fashion world is actually a form of escapism: you create a new persona. Changing looks and combining the existing with something non-existent is something that plays a big role in my work. 'Beautifying' reality, and thus shaping a world that does not yet exist."
The exhibition will consist of a combination of Jacobs’ commissioned work by various fashion brands and her own work that will premiere in this exhibition. She is also currently experimenting with Artificial Intelligence, which takes Jacobs' imagination to a peak: nothing is impossible yet. The images she manages to create via AI are like film stills of a strangely attractive nightmare. Sleeping Beauty is, therefore, like an invitation to a fairy tale in the subconscious, where anything is possible. On the occasion of this exhibition, Carlijn Jacobs invites Dutch artist and designer Sabine Marcelis to respond to her work by enriching the exhibition space with her designs, allowing Jacobs and Marcelis to create their ultimate dream world together. | | | | | | | | | | © Carlijn Jacobs | | | | | | Fashion photography
Fashion photography is perhaps the one genre closest to the sign of the times while having the power to appeal directly to a broad audience without words. Sleeping Beauty by Carlijn Jacobs follows on from a series of pioneering exhibitions in recent years in which Foam has presented a new and established generation of international fashion photographers who manage to capture the spirit of the times in images through alternative approaches, including Harley Weir – Boundaries (2016), Tyler Mitchell – I Can Make You Feel Good (2019), the Foam Magazine issue and homonymous group exhibition Adorned – The Fashionable Show (2019/2020), Mous Lamrabat – Blessings from Mousganistan (2022) and most recently, Paul Kooiker –FASHION.
3h alumni
Sleeping Beauty by Carlijn Jacobs is part of the Foam 3h alumni series. Foam 3h is the exhibition space where recently graduated artists and photographers are invited to present their first museum solo exhibition. Foam believes it is important to keep track of the careers of its talents and, since 2016, has been programming an exhibition every year by a Foam 3h alumnus who has made a remarkable development. Carlijn Jacobs debuted at Foam 3h in 2016 in the exhibition PS – Carlijn Jacobs, Elizaveta Porodina and Philippe Vogelenzang as an emerging talent during the major Helmut Newton retrospective. Previous 3h alumni include Danielle van Ark, Lorenzo Vitturi and Awoiska van der Molen. | | | | | | | | | | Generated by DALL·E by OpenAI, prompt and photo © Carlijn Jacobs. | | | | | | Carlijn Jacobs (1991, Groeningen, NL) studied photography at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, where she gained early recognition for her particular take on mass culture. Although she is creating a name for herself in fashion photography, her style is timeless. She draws inspiration from the visual language of the 1980s and 1990s and merges different art styles in surprising ways. Her work is colourful and expressive, and the dark undertones of surrealism play a significant role. Contrary to the general trend of the fashion world, she says she strives not for perfection but for peculiarity. In 2021, Jacobs published her first monograph Mannequins with James Chester, at APE (Art Paper Editions). Simultaneously with the exhibition Sleeping Beauty at Foam, Jacobs will release a new book with APE. Her work has appeared in countless magazines, including Vogue, Vogue France, Vogue Italia, Dazed, Pop, D Repubblica, M le Monde and AnOther Magazine. She has created campaigns and images for Acne Studios, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Loewe and Mugler, among others. Carlijn Jacobs is represented by Art + Commerce and is based in Paris.
Sleeping Beauty by Carlijn Jacobs is made possible by the Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds. | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tupac, Atlanta, GA 1993, contactsheet
© Dana Lixenberg, courtesy of the artist and
GRIMM Amsterdam | London | New York | | | | | | Tupac Biggie XXX MAQAM | | | | until 1 February 2024 | | | | | | MAQAM Jan van Schaffelaarplantsoen 2 . 1061 DN Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20-5516500
www.foam.org |
| | | | | | | | | | Biggie, New York, NY 1996, contactsheet
© Dana Lixenberg, courtesy of the artist and
GRIMM Amsterdam | London | New York | | | | | | 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 to playful nods in animations like the Simpsons – and displays images from the eponymous book Tupac Biggie which include the contactsheets from Lixenberg’s shoots with the two iconic rappers. | | | | | | | | unsubscribe here
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© 28 November 2023 photography now UG (haftungsbeschränkt) i.G.
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