Unseen Photo Fair 2016 Programme | Unseen Living Room

The Unseen Living Room is an informal meeting place for the exchange of dialogue and ideas. Bringing together leading professionals from across the industry, the living room hosts roundtable discussions, interviews and presentations that explore the recent developments in photography as they happen. From looking forward to what’s next for the industry to gaining an insight into an artist’s work process, the living room programme has something for everyone.
  

For more information and updates about Unseen Living Room programmes and Unseen's full fair programme, visit the official page here.  

Visions on Collecting  

Friday 23 September, 15:00-16:00  

What is it about photography that inspires young and dynamic collectors today? What do we need to look for when collecting photography and where does its power come from? These are just some of the questions that we will explore with a group of young international collectors who are well-known for their commitment to the arts and their passion for the medium of photography. With: Princess Alia Al–Senussi (LB/US), Marisa Bellani (BE) and Gregg Wilson (USA). Moderated by Valentina Salmeri (head of VIP and external relations, Unseen, IT).  

Premiere Presentations  

Friday 23 September, 16:00-16:45  

Highlighting emerging talent is central to Unseen Photo Fair. Unseen exhibits a wide range of work that has never been shown before in a gallery, institution or at an art fair; these are called Unseen Premieres. Join FOAM curator Kim Knoppers as she leads a discussion with six artists (in three sessions consisting of two artists each) on their latest projects and uncover works on view for the very first time exclusively to visitors of Unseen. Moderated by Kim Knoppers (curator, Foam, NL)  

Craftsmanship in Contemporary Photography  

Saturday 24 September, 15:00-16:00  

Today, "everyone can be a photographer" is a commonly heard phrase, hinting at the fact that the tools for making pictures are now accessible to more people than ever before. As a result, millions of often randomly generated pictures are produced and shared every day. In response, the last couple of years has seen the birth of a countermovement among many visual artists who acknowledge the importance of craftsmanship, authenticity and the potential to apply old-fashioned analogue processes in a contemporary context. Quite often, these processes result in unique, interesting bodies of work with a different aesthetic to the type of generic images that can be reproduced endlessly. In acknowledgement of this important development, Unseen presents the exhibition TOUCHED – Craftsmanship in Contemporary Photography, curated by Anton Corbijn. The exhibition provides an exclusive insight to the way contemporary artists employ artisanal photographic processes or use photographic prints to create unique objects. At the same time, the exhibition gives an exciting glimpse into the richness of contemporary photography.   

The exhibition will be on display in Museum Het Schip in the Spaarndammerbuurt from 16-25 September, as part of the Unseen Photo Festival.  

With: Caroline von Courten (writer and researcher, DE), Paul Kooiker (artist, NL) and Antony Cairns (artist, UK). Moderated by David Campany (writer, artist and curator, UK)  

From Book to Exhibition Design  

Sunday 25 September, 15:00-16:00  

How does the space of a book compare to that of the exhibition space? Photobooks, just like shows, are sometimes discussed in terms of the space they create. The time, the atmosphere, the sequencing and even literally the space (of the "narrative") – this vocabulary is shared by both photobook and exhibition discussions. Assuming that this does not derive simply from the lack of terms we talk about art in general, but (also) the shared aspects of the processes of working on both a show and a book, here we will discuss it with makers. Much has been said about artists being curators, this time it’s however the designers/publishers turn to take the curatorial seat.  

With: Jurgen Maelfeyt (founder, Art Paper Editions, BE), Welmer Keesmaat (founder, Tique, NL) and Sawako Fukai (gallery director, G/P Gallery, JP). Moderated by Karin Bareman (exhibitions and projects organiser, Autograph ABP, NL)  

Alternative Ways of Learning  

Sunday 25 September, 16:00-16:45  

In photographic education now, the tide is changing. The past decade has seen a huge rise in alternative educational initiatives in the arts. Across the world, these new projects are often peer-led or artist-run and take the form of grassroots colleges, summer schools, immersive workshops and free online courses. Two alternative education programmes have been invited to Unseen to explain the different approaches taken by the initiatives and to discuss the phenomenon of learning in alternative ways.  

With: Fosi Vegue (founder, Blank Paper, ES) and Julija Berkovica (founder, ISSP, LV). Moderated by Oliver Whitehead (projects curator, The Photographers’ Gallery, UK)

All Unseen Living Room programming to occur at:  

Unseen Living Room  
Westergasfabriek terrain  
Klönneplein 1  
1014 DD Amsterdam