Unseen Amsterdam 2018

Unseen Amsterdam is back and brighter than ever in its seventh edition highlighting the latest developments at the forefront of fine art photography. Taking place from the 21st to the 23rd of September at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek with fifty three participating galleries, it will exhibit diverse collections from all over the world and new initiatives exploring new directions in contemporary art. The international showcase will enable around three hundred up-and-coming and established artists to present boundary-pushing and noteworthy work, much of which has never been seen before and will be hard to forget.Unseen Amsterdam not only welcomes photographers and enthusiasts of all kinds to explore the latest developments in the art, but it is also raising awareness for the global issue of vanishing glaciers. This shows how artists can play a role in inspiring behavioural change via photography. Other highlights include two exhibitions and the Talent Development programmes focused on new names. There will also be a stage for all sixty artists of Futures, the new photography platform for European emerging talent. It’s guaranteed to be a remarkable weekend.The real cream of the crop comes from the commissioned Japanese digital artist Kenta Cobayashi, who was asked to create the wicked cool campaign image of the festival. His series conjure up imaginary visions of a city in flux that will for sure stick with us for some time. Blending fiction and reality, he epitomizes sci-fi with Tokyo being the emblematic backdrop of his futuristic story. Full of life and energy, Cobayashi creates visually stunning, vibrant works through various digital manoeuvring – improving the normal to create the awesome by distorting reality – pushing forward the frontiers of photography.And since the list of participating photographers is almost endless, we’ve selected the ten photographers you can’t miss and that you should start following right now. They will open your eyes to a new way of seeing the world. Feast on talent with rose-coloured lenses.Albarrán CabreraDespite knowing each other and working together for more than thirty years, Angel Albarrán and Anna Cabrera, aka Albarrán Cabrera, are still experimenting with photography as a medium. They say it helps them understand the world they live in. Nevertheless, it’s the questions they can ask about time, reality, space, and identity that really keep them going. Fascinated by Japanese culture, they’re eager to explore points of view different from their own to keep exploring the many possibilities of existence. And on Friday, they’re launching their first book, titled Remembering the Future.András LadocsiFeaturing faces, bodies and seemingly random objects, András Ladocsi’s stills are moving. In his unique way, he draws you into the subject – instilling the viewer with the dichotomy of distance and intimacy. Every image provides a story the beholder decides upon. Coming from Hungary (Budapest), this artist’s intent to systematize is prevalent within his realism and naturalism.Elsa LeydierEmbracing the aesthetic, from landscapes to leaves, Elsa Leydier is vibrant and at times, experimental if not odd, seeing how she has post stamps plastered on the faces of indigenous people. Elsa invites the viewer to be immersed in the surface representations of the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers with fantasized image constructs. You can tell she’s an interesting character you would want as a travel buddy.Lara Tabet & Randa MirzaThis dynamic duo presents powerful photographs that speak volumes when it comes to contemplating the relationship between the individual and private/public space in connection to gender, sexuality and personal identity, with Lara’s work reflecting her background in pathology and the pain of the traumatic Lebanese struggle. Moreover, Randa’s photography brings about symbolic, social and political issues that meshes well with her partner to create a visual diary founded on a long-distance relationship between two women.Lin ZhipengEver heard of Chungking Express? Lin Zhipeng named himself No.223 after the lovelorn cop in the critically acclaimed Wong Kar-wai film. Considered part of the ‘next generation’ of young Chinese photographers, Zhipeng utilizes sexuality to engender the raw. Anyone with an affinity for the suggestive and at times, overtly sexual, will enjoy his titillating photographs.Maisie CousinsIntense close-ups are at the forefront of this photographic artist’s distinctive images that are both bright and alive. Maisie Cousins touches upon deeper issues relating to power, femininity and sexuality with her colourful experiments. Whether it’s having fun with gastropods or capturing Georgia O’Keeffe-like flora, she is pretty groovy.Marco BarbonThis Italian artist proves that creativity can come from simplicity in his old-timey works that take you to a place back in time, making you wonder which far reaches of this world he had to venture to capture such sepia-like stills. He addresses the temporality of the image and the boundary zone between reality and dreams.Vasantha YogananthanThis award-winning photographer is an explorer of nature in every sense of the word and world. His photographs are almost philosophic with their usage of natural light amongst other overarching aspects such as the long periods of time his work spans. Those who enjoy embarking on a spiritual journey with a visual tale embedded throughout will appreciate Vasantha’s projects, which contemplate the space between documentary and fiction. Actually, he’s been working on A Myth of Two Souls since 2013, an ongoing series that’s taking him to every corner of India.Weronika GęsickaWith mind-bending effects and an affinity for challenging the viewer’s memory and perception, this Polish artist’s photographs enthral. Uncanny family portraits, faces that are actually masks, and gloves made out of arm skin are just some of the subjects she’s been depicting throughout her award-winning career. If you love horror, mystery, and even uncomfortable images, look no more: you’ve found the perfect match.Yoshinori MizutaniYoshinori Mizutani’s work is fresh and visceral. It takes on nature with beaming enthusiasm making you think, ‘here’s someone who knows what they’re doing.’ Mizutani shows an “innate understanding of how forms, colours, textures and depth translate into the pictorial plane.” If you’re wondering what the young and emerging photographers in Tokyo are up to, Mizutani’s work serves as a good gauge of the Japanese scene’s visual tropes. WordsHisham Tammam