19-23 sept 2012amsterdam

a new photo fairunseen

THE COLLECTOR’S FAVOURITE #1WHy Anthony James Berowne, LondonWHAT Alexis Arquette, by Jack Pierson, edition 3 + appWHy “I first saw this work from a distance as I walked

down the corridors at Frieze Art Fair. It was hanging on the back wall of Jack Hanley’s stand and it was so mesmerizing. I simply had to go in. It was a portrait of Alexis Arquette, but that awareness came only later. The gallery made a reservation for me, so I was able to have a second look the next day. Well, quite simply put, the charisma was still there.”

WHEn October 2009WHERE Frieze Art Fair at Jack Hanley Gallery, ny

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Photography is everywhere. In newspapers, magazines and books, on your computer, on your iPad and in the streets. We live in an image-driven society. So is there anything left to discover in the world of photography?

At Unseen we like to think so. Unseen is a brand-new fair focusing exclusively on the latest and most exciting photography from a new generation of artists. From 19 to 23 September, more than fifty leading galleries from all over the world will gather in Amsterdam to present high-quality work from young, emerging photo-graphers. Unseen will be unlike any other photography fair because much of what will be on show has not been widely seen before.

In the same weekend, the renowned Stedelijk Museum will reopen its doors after seven years, showing its world-famous collection in a breathtaking new wing.

So, if you think you have seen it all, come to Unseen from 19 to 23 September and discover a new world of photography.

Stay tuned for the latest updates at www.unseenamsterdam.com

MeetUnSeen

19-23 sept 2012

Cover photo: Sun Set Series #212, 2011 © Fleur van Dodewaard

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WESTERGASFABRIEk× 20 minutes walk from Amsterdam Central Station× 15 minutes by public transport× Easily accessible by public transportation (Bus 21 from Amsterdam Central Station, Tram 10 from centre) and by car (Ring West)× Parking at Q Park Westergasfabriek

UnSEEn ExHIBITIOnZuiveringshal West

A cutting-edge exhibition of a world-famous international photography collection.

OFFPRInTMachinegebouw and Openbare Verlichting

An international book fair of art and photography books.

UnSEEn nIGHTWesterunie

Unseen Party

UnSEEn FILmS & LECTURES

Ketelhuis and MC TheaterFilm screenings and lectures by renowned figures in the field of photography.

UnSeen ProgrAMMe

UnSEEn PHOTO FAIRGashouder and Transformatorhuis

The heart of Unseen featuring more than 50 international galleries.

UnSEEn COLLECTIOnA unique collection of around 60 works for prices under 1,000 euro.

FOAm mAGAzInE TALEnT OUTDOOR ExHIBITIOn WesterparkA large outdoor exhibition featuring the photographs of the selected Foam magazine Talents of 2012.

Unseen, a photo fair with a festival flair, will take place at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek. this former gasworks site dates back to 1885 and houses numerous creative spaces, restaurants, bars and a cinema.

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From 19 to 23 September 2012, Unseen will present a diverse programme on the grounds of the Westergasfabriek, allowing visitors to enjoy photography in all of its forms. Visit www.unseenamsterdam.com for an overview.

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UnSEEn COLLECTIOn

The Unseen Collection consists of around 60 works contributed by participating galleries, for prices under 1,000 euro. A perfect place to make your first photography purchase!

UnSEEnExHIBITIOn

To be revealed: A cutting-edge exhibition that will feature a world-famous international photography collection. The exhibition will be a must-see for photo-graphy lovers and the general public. more information will follow shortly.

OFFPRInTAfter two successful editions of Offprint Paris, Offprint will have its first Amsterdam edition at Unseen. Offprint is a book fair of international publishers, artists and de-signers showcasing the best of contemporary art publica-tions. A haven for lovers of art monographs, limited edition publications and photography books.

UnSEEn FILmS AnD LECTURES

The on-site cinema, Het Ketelhuis, will screen inter-national photography films and documentaries. At the neighbouring MC Theater, Unseen will host an inspiring series of panel discussions, interviews and lectures with international experts on photography.

UnSEEn nIGHTOn Friday 21 September the very first Unseen night will take place. An unusual evening at the fair, visitors will experience photography in a whole other light. Head over to the Unseen Party at the Westerunie to continue the night!

OUTDOOR FOAm mAGAzInE TALEnT ExHIBITIOn

The launch of the yearly ‘Talent Issue’ of Foam Magazine will take place at Unseen. The Talent Call resulted in a submission of more than 1,000 photography portfolios from around the world. The portfolios of the 16 selected Talents will be featured in a large outdoor exhibition in the surrounding Westerpark. This spectacular outdoor exhibition is one you will not want to miss!

The inaugural edition of Unseen Photo Fair will take place from Wednesday 19 to Sunday 23 September. more than 50 international galleries, including Les Filles du Calvaire ( Paris), G/P Gallery (Tokyo) and Danziger Gallery (new york), will represent an eclectic mix of young photography talent and unseen work of established photographers. The design of the gallery floor by Amsterdam-based design studio müller Van Tol will facili-tate diverse groups of people, from first-time buyers to established collectors to profes-sionals and photography enthusiasts.

Transformatorhuis, © Arjen Veldt

Gashouder, © Arjen Veldt

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THE COLLECTOR’S FAVOURITE #2WHy Thomas A. Schneider, BerlinWHAT Untitled nr. 6 (2005) by Popel Coumou, edition 2/8WHy “This work has a very calm and quiet atmosphere combined

with a high level of colour aesthetics. I like the strong contrast between the dark, nearly black wall, the green floor and the shimmering velvet bed. This strange interior gives a typical impression of loneliness. In my opinion 2005/2007 were the strongest years for this young Dutch artist. I think this particular work has benefited from the fact Popel didn’t try to do too much in a single photograph.”

WHEn August 2011WHERE Aando Fine Art, Berlin

A tHrILLIng erA For PHotogrAPHY

In the 1920s, the brilliantly eccentric American portrait photographerAlvin Langdon Coburn made the prophetic comment that “in 100 years,photography would be the medium.” He almost got it right. But he couldnever have imagined the complexities of the medium today.

Living and working amongst photography, we pull back and ask questions raised at talks and Q&A sessions: “How do we define photo-graphy?” “Why do photographs mean so much to us?” “Has analogue had its day?” Then we find some answers in the work we produce or view. The linking, converging worlds of ana-logue, digital and moving images is irresistibly exciting. But a growing interest in 19th century techniques and styles reflects a strong pull away from keyboards and screens. We are bombarded with these diverse visual images and don’t always understand them – or need to. As Philip Lorca diCorcia put it: “Photo-graphy is a foreign language but everyone believes they are fluent in it.”

In the last few years, photography has entered the media hub and, at last, the mainstream art world. Regular news items indicate its signifi-cance and community – the homage to the magnum treasure, Eve Arnold, and to Ameri-ca’s Vietnam war photographer Horst Faas; the Sony World Photography Organization presenting the mischievous 84-year-old William klein with a Lifetime Achievement Award, days after kodak - whose film fed his work for decades – collapsed. Controversy recently surrounded William Eggleston’s 1970s small, original prints when he digitally re-printed them to grand sizes with different processes for auction. A new york collector filed a suit and the 36 prints raised $5.9m; some viewers thought they benefitted from the transformation.

Gauging the volatile photography market is confusing but a picture emerges each year

from the Top 10 chart of highest prices. number One saw Andreas Gursky’s huge, meditative river view, Rhein II (1999) sell for $4.3m, more than any photograph ever. Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #96 from the series of the sensuous woman draped in a rose-coloured robe, went for $3.89m, doubtless assisted by her recent, sold-out retrospective at momA new york. Edward Steichen’s The Pond-Moon-light (1904) at $2.928m is a poetic master-piece made faintly colourful before colour

Bill koch’s new prize: The world’s only existing photograph of Billy the kid.

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photography was fully invented. number Six stands out as a small, anonymous, tatty tintype portrait of Billy the kid, iconic cowboy and killer. Standing proud with a rifle, he earned someone $2.3m.

As the auction trade expands, other branches of the photography industry provide new names in magazines, exhibitions and websites, names attached to original, individualistic presentations and ideas. The international fair Unseen is rich in choice and the current Saatchi Gallery’s Out of Focus opens windows onto image-makers from every continent. Leonce Agbodjélou, model and portrait photo grapher in the school of malick Sidibe, introduces clashing colours and designs from his robes and symbolic elements of the voodoo priest’s secret powers. A random selection of talked-about Western photo-graphers beyond Saatchi includes California’s Alex Prager, the recipient of Foam’s Paul Huf Award 2012. Her radiant Hollywood-bright imagery backs the elegant models suffering from Hitchcock references. In contrast, marlo Pascual and margarita Gluzberg share a near-gothic, surreal approach involving found

portraits and props yet their originality is distinct. Filling an entirely different commer-cial realm in new york, Ryan mcGinley is as hot as a pop star. His demanding creations cross multi-media borders and models float in fairy-tale grottos as butterflies skim their naked skins. The links within the international photography market have enabled the mush-rooming of festivals and fairs in surprising cities. Houston’s fourteen-year-old FotoFest is a connection across continents; their 2012 Russian theme reflects the movements of young photographers around galleries abroad. FofoFest’s exhibitions will span the Cold War’s Soviet-era colour saturation and romanticized lifestyles with today’s harsher tones and reality lifestyles.

With a different emphasis, Sony’s World Photograph Organization (WPO) in its fourth edition, operates a web of categories with the hub at the open competition for amateurs and professionals and the Student Focus which works with universities from each continent. The 2012 Student winner, Asef Ali mohammad from kabul and middlesex Univer-sity, London, collected 45,000 euros worth of

Despair Film Still, nr. 2 © Alex Prager/Michael Hoppen Gallery

the latest Sony photographic products for his department. The festival circuit offers tanta-lizing choices of interesting locations – from Bamako to moscow, madrid to Derby to Dublin, krakow, Buenos Aires and Brighton. noorderlicht deserves a prize for its 28,578 applicants and 1,623 photographs entered for its open competition.

Within every festival are book stalls, crushing the idea that books are dying - long live the kindle! Photo-books are booming, as proven by the crowds at Whitechapel Gallery’s Book Fair and stalls at Rencontres Arles. Self pub-lishing began long ago but Blurb and Be Happy helped lead the way recently, and the quality printing and paper now suits professionals and family albums.

Of the recent titles, Magnum Contact Sheets weighs 5kg, with 139 sheets by past and present magnum members; martin Parr’s iconic History of Photo-Books and maarten Schmidt Houston FotoFest 2012 are equally hefty in all ways. Horacio Fernandez’s chunky The Latin American Photo-Book will coincide with Tate modern’s themed photography exhibition later this year. The Dutch Photo-Book holds a hundred classic and contempo-rary photographers and references to self-published projects including the Baghdad photo-documentarist Geert van kesteren and Empty Bottles by the creative team, Wassink-Lundgren. Chinese Curator and Professor of Visual Arts in Guangzhou, Jiehong Jiang, brings Unseen the ambitious A Decade Long Exposure: Chinese Contemporary Photography.

This year’s kraszna-krauz’s book prize went to the 19th century landscape photographer, Carleton Watkins for The Complete Mammoth Photographs (Getty Images) in yosemite national Park. It unwittingly links to today’s building interest in the processes he used. Walter Hugo applies personal alchemy and his scientific background to portraits made as ambrotypes and sophisticated nineteenth century Street Art sprayed on Shoreditch walls. Another equally hands-on strand of photography leaves the digital environment and the print ceases to be the final object and is transformed by painting, embroidery,

amsterdam 19-23 sept 2012

Written by Sue Steward, a British writer, broadcasterand photo-editor working in Photography, Visual Artsand World music.

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collaging, cutting or, with Alike Braine, going back a layer and etching negatives to create the effect of photogravures on the original tree prints. maurizio Anzeri and Julie Cock-burn transform found portraits with woven silk, each approaching the new character they invent in very different ways. The iconic John Stezaker builds intricate narratives around his scripts by cutting film stills and his own photographs to build an often sinister 3-D effect.

Unseen promises to expose the contents of this thrilling era of photography, importantly accommodating the tragedies in this world as well as the poetic beauty and surprises created with such a diversity of ever-expand-ing image-making materials.

No means no (man) 2012 24.6 x 19.3cm Altered found photograph

No means no (man), 2012 © Julie Cockburn/Flowers Galleries

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THE COLLECTOR’S FAVOURITE #3WHy Cathy Suiker, RotterdamWHAT Untitled by martien mulder edition 1/10WHy “The first time I saw this work was in an email sent to me

by the gallery. I was immediately fascinated by it. It’s so appealing with its light colour scheme and summertime feeling. Of course I was very eager to see the work as a real print. When that happened I was immediately convinced. I had to have this print. It is both very exotic and very erotic. It is hanging in our bedroom, the perfect place for this work.”

WHEn november, 2010WHERE kahmann Gallery, Amsterdam

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CAn yOU TELL US ABOUT THE mÜLLER VAn TOL AESTHETIC?

If you look at our work, you can see that our focus is on the space. We ask questions like: What makes a space unique? How will the visitor move in the space? How will the visitor experience the space? We do not deliver inte-riors designed in advance. Instead we create unique interiors based on the available space and the desires of the client. These authentic places have their own ambiance; we want people to feel good in a place. We make sure each location has a story to tell. I guess you could say most of our projects are temporary designs, so we recognize how important it is to focus on the location, to create a unique meeting place for the visitor and the space.

CAn yOU GIVE SOmE ExAmPLES OF yOUR WORk?

We recently designed the restaurant ofTrouw Amsterdam, the club/art space in theformer newspaper-printing building. There,the central kitchen reflects the importanceof the food and the experience of preparingand cooking meals. For Restaurant As, inthe zuidas business district with views ofthe Beatrixpark, we created a restaurantspace with an outdoor kitchen and seating tocomplement the religious iconography of theold Sint nicolaaskapel. For the TextielmuseumTilburg, we created a space that allowsthe visitor to experience the act of makingfabrics, an authentic design to match themuseum experience.

UnSEEn PHOTO FAIR IS UnIQUE AmOnG ART AnD PHOTOGRAPHy FAIRS. HOW DOES ITS DESIGn REFLECT THIS?

Unseen is not a standard fair, and thedesign is not a standard design. As in ourother projects, we have focused on themovement of the visitor through the spaceand paid special attention to how the spacewill be used. We were asked to deliver fiftyaccessible stands in the Gashouder building.We settled upon a circular design with acentral pavilion, with an eye to the ultimategoal of meeting and networking and in linewith the ideas behind Unseen Photo Fair.

Amsterdam-based interior design agency Müller Van tol was asked to design the gallery stands for Unseen Photo Fair for its unique approach to temporary design. We spoke to designers Bas van tol and Floris Kindt about their previous projects and the design of Unseen.

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An UnUSUAL DeSIgn For UnSeen

Interior Transformatorhuis

the weekend of 19-23 September 2012 in Amsterdam promises to be particu-larly art-filled, exciting, and culturally rewarding, with Unseen Photo Fair and many other contemporary art and design events.

AMSterDAM’S MUSt SeeS

RE-OPEnInG OF THESTEDELIJk mUSEUm

The Stedelijk museum, Amsterdam’s museum of modern and contemporary art, will re-open its doors on Sunday, 23 September. Its dynamic new wing, designed by mels Crouwel of Benthem Crouwel Architects, provides a completely new space for the Stedelijk’s famed and influential exhibitions. The first exhibition to be staged there, called Beyond Imagination, will feature new projects and commissioned works by twenty Dutch and international artists active in the netherlands.

museumplein 10www.stedelijk.nl

ELLE DECORATION: InSIDE DESIGn

Inside Design Amsterdam, the largest design event in the netherlands, organized by interiors magazine Elle Decoration, will be held between 21 and 23 September in the residential area of IJburg in the new eastern district of Amsterdam. major national and international design labels and young designers will showcase their latest work. The Elle Decoration Design Talent Award will take place at Inside Design, with internationally renowned furniture brand Cappellini.

www.elle.nl/inside_design

ALBUm BEAUTy In FOAmLocated on the keizersgracht in the centre of Amster-dam is the photography museum Foam. The programme of exhibitions includes world-famous photographers as well as young or undiscovered talent. On display in September will be the exhibition, Album Beauty, an ode to the vanishing era of the photo album as told through the collection of Erik kessels (curator and creative director of advertising agency kesselskramer). Additionally, Foam enables people all around the world to experience and enjoy photography through the internationally distributed Foam Magazine, the Editions department and the new shop &Foam.

keizersgracht 609 & Vijzelstraat 78www.foam.org

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FAIR InFOTICkET InFORmATIOn

Buy your tickets now at www.unseenamsterdam.com

The pricing is as follows:Unseen Passe-partout* € 47,50Unseen Day Pass € 20,00

Unseen Photo Fair € 15,00Unseen Exhibition € 5,00Offprint Amsterdam € 2,00

* The Unseen Passe-partout grants unlimited access to Unseen Photo Fair,Unseen Exhibition, Unseen Collection, Offprint Amsterdam & UnseenFilm Programme and features various discounts in the Unseen Amsterdamprogramme as well as a complementary copy of the Unseen Catalogue. Entryto other parts of the programme is subject to availability.

InITIATORS Unseen is a joint venture of Foam (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam), Platform A (office for business develop-ment) and Vandejong (branding agency).

COnTACTinfo@unseenamsterdam.comwww.unseenamsterdam.com

FAIR SITEWestergasfabriekklönneplein 11014 DD Amsterdamwww.westergasfabriek.nl

TRAVEL InFORmATIOnSee our website www.unseenamsterdam.com forrecommended hotels, restaurants and shops. Contact Valerius reizen for travel and hotel reservations.(www.valeriusreizen.nl or +31 (0)20-673 07 73)

Unseen Photo Fair is made possible by:

ABOUT WASSInkLUnDGREnCollector portraits were taken by WassinkLundgren, a collaboration of Thijs Groot Wassink (1981) and Ruben Lundgren (1983) who are based in London and Beijing. They work in partnership on photography and film projects that shift mundane, often unnoticeable, everyday occurrences into visually compelling obser-vations of the world around us. WassinkLundgren playfully turn the unwritten rules of photography upside down. Examples of this are the series Empty Bottles, Tokyo Tokyo and Lu Xiaoben. The duo will be showing a new body of work at Unseen in a solo Presentation at Van zoetendaal Collections.

www.wassinklundgren.com

From the series Tokyo Tokyo, 2009-2010 © WassinkLundgren

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Unseen. A photo fair with

a festival flair.

Aando Fine Art (Berlin) Alex Daniels Reflex Amsterdam (Amsterdam) Annet Gelink Gallery (Amsterdam)Christian Larsen (Stockholm) Christophe Guye Galerie (zurich) Danziger Gallery (new york) Galerie Diana Stigter (Amsterdam) Edel Assanti (London) Elipsis Gallery (Istanbul) The Empire Project (Istanbul) East Wing Contemporary (Dubai) Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire (Paris) Flatland Gallery (Utrecht) Flowers (London) G/P Gallery (Tokyo) Galerie Gabriel Rolt (Amsterdam)Gun Gallery (Stockholm) Galleria Heino (Helsinki) Galerie Juliette Jongma (Amsterdam) kahmann Gallery (Amsterdam) kaune, Sudendorf (Cologne) Van kranendonk Gallery (The Hague) Wim van krimpen (Amsterdam) Liefhertje en de Grote Witte Reus (The Hague)

m97 (Shanghai) magnum Gallery (Paris) martin Asbaek Gallery (Copenhagen) martin van zomeren (Amsterdam) michael Hoppen Gallery (London) mirko mayer Gallery (Cologne) motive Gallery (Brussels) Paradise Row (London) Peter Lav Gallery (Copenhagen) The Photographers’ Gallery (London) Robert morat Galerie (Berlin / Hamburg) Galerie Ron mandos (Amsterdam) Seelevel Gallery (Amsterdam) Gallery Taik (Berlin / Helsinki) Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo) The Third Gallery Aya (Osaka) Torch Gallery (Amsterdam)GVQ - Galerie Vanessa Quang (Paris) Gallery Vassie (Amsterdam)Galerie Vu’ (Paris) Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen (Amsterdam) x-ist (Istanbul)yossi milo Gallery (new york) Van zoetendaal Collections (Amsterdam)

WWW.UnSEEnAmSTERDAm.COm

PARTICIPATInG GALLERIES