From the series (Inter)Faces of Predictions

, Sheung Yiu looks into different practices of face reading, facial prediction and facial recognition. For this multi-medial series, consisting of a video essay, a series of self-portraits and an extensive research notebook of visual references, he submitted his own face as a test case: scanning, screening and analysing his features in order to understand the processes behind it. 

In his practice, Sheung Yiu combines East-Asian traditions of facial readings, promising to predict one's future based on facial features, with contemporary facial recognition technologies, drawing a striking parallel between Eastern and Western practices around facial studies.  

On a deeper level, the project questions the way different technologies, whether digital or analogue, algorithmic or esoteric, shape the perceptions and biases connected to our faces. Through this, he recognises that a face is never just a face: it is what we, or the systems we use, want to read into it. 

Animation

Notebook scan, from the series Interfaces of Prediction

Facial landmarks (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Twisted Face (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Fortune in My Thirties from the series Interfaces of Predictions, 2023

Faceless (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Scan (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Between Two Charts (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Old and new moles (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Face Mesh (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Ancient Prediction (2023), from the series Interfaces of Predictions

Sheung Yiu

From the series Eyes Dazzle as They Search for the Truth

What is the relationship between the photographer and the one that is photographed? In an attempt to answer this question, Amin Yousefi turned to photobooks, documenting the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979 in his home-country. Zooming in on archival images of large demonstrations, he looked for protestors who locked eyes with the camera. 

Anonymous faces stare into the photographer’s lens, clearly showing awareness of being captured, inviting the viewer to look. Interestingly, the photographer at the time was most likely 

 aware of the returning gazes—due to the size of the crowds and the limitations of a 35mm camera viewfinder. In this case, Yousefi argues, it seems that the photographed is in control of the image, rather than the photographer, as one might assume. 

With the help of a magnifying glass, he rephotographed each of them—connecting himself with these individuals across time and space and isolating them into a newly formed crowd. Consisting of fifty portraits, 

Eyes Dazzle as they Search for the Truth 

examines how our knowledge about the past is formed through archival images. By turning his camera to those who looked back, Yousefi tries to understand the impact of one of the most influential events in Iranian contemporary history.

Untitled from Eyes Dazzle As they Search for The Truth.

Untitled from Eyes Dazzle As they Search for The Truth

Amin Yousefi

 in 2018. The artwork is an ice photogram digitally printed on glass, and is displayed at 33 x 40 cm.

System 8, from the series Kosmos, 2011

visible in

In an attempt to minimize the devastating effect of global warming on the glaciers of the Swiss Alps, each summer they are covered with geotextile blankets that are designed to keep the ice cool. Douglas Mandry journeyed his native country, intrigued by this desperate attempt to prevent the receding glaciers from further melting. The artist collected disused pieces of geotextile from the mountains, and later processed them as a base for found photographs of early twentieth-century alpinism in the region. Mandry also took bits of broken ice from the glacier with him in a cool box. In the darkroom, he put the ice in the enlarger, where it started to melt and drip onto the photo paper, creating a colourful aura of the glacier. Mandry then reproduced these photograms on glass plates. 

could be considered an index of the vanishing glaciers of Switzerland: frozen time, captured in an instant by the principles of photography.

Monuments, Aletsch #2, 2018

Tophane, Istanbul, 1958

Podcast

Galata Docks, Istanbul, 1962

Foam Talks about Ara Güler, iconic images, and photo archives, with Claartje van Dijk and Tuana Pulak

In a four-part series led by acclaimed Polaroid artists Rhiannon Adams, Ellen Carey & John Reuter, and Marcel Veldman and Foam 3h alumnus Ece Gökalp, the participating students were able to use the recently launched Polaroid I-2 camera – the first advanced instant camera with built-in manual controls. Moreover, they had the chance to discuss their perspectives about the possibilities of storytelling and the enduring relevancy of this unique medium.

Students as well as young, self-made creatives approached the medium from various angles and shed light on its artistic, social, and technological significance by pushing the boundaries of what instant film can achieve. The results of their collective efforts are now on display as part of an exclusive online exhibition.

This programme is made possible with the support of Polaroid.

Foam is supported by the VriendenLoterij, Foam Members, the VandenEnde Foundation and the City of Amsterdam. 

PORTRAITURE
AND
THE PHYSICAL
PHOTOGRAPH

“Polaroid photo processes are completed in situ, there is no external hand involved. It’s pure – just me, the camera, the environment, and the film.” 

POLAROID PHOTOGRAPHY 
AS AN ARTISTIC MEDIUM

CAPTURING 
REAL 
               LIFE

“In between all the skateboard tricks and stuff, I like something contrasty. Instant film for me is the perfect way to do this. It gives you an example of the free life aside from the actual skateboard.”

Polaroid Photography in Multiple Perspectives

Voor meer informatie en beeldmateriaal kunt u kijken op www.foam.org/press of contact opnemen met de Press Office van Foam: 020 5516500 / pressoffice@foam.org.

Note to editors

zie meer

Announcement Winner Foam Paul Huf Award 2024

After Anahit, 2023

Dad And Omani Friends, November 2018

How do different generations of Turkish image-makers give shape to the worlds they live in? With shared heritage as the starting point, multi-year project Kısmet explores the complex and rich perspectives of Turkish visual culture. Initiated by the longstanding cultural, diplomatic and economical connections between Turkey and the Netherlands, Kısmet was created by artist Ahmet Polat and further developed with Foam. 

Online Exhibition - Kismet: New Perspectives. Four Contemporary Image-makers from Turkey

articles

Current exhibitions

Dad and his Indian Friends, April 2017

The Golden Horn, Istanbul

Listen to the Foam Talks episode about an Armenian statue, an emptied lake, and a fig tree.

Foam Talks with Ece Gökalp and Larissa Araz

Ahmet Sezer being photographed by his son Ahmet, Dark Moon Tales of the Afro-Turkish Diaspora, 2005-2022

Watch the visual podcast about the history of the Afro-Turkish community around Izmir, Turkey and their connection to image-making.

The Coffee Reading: Tales of the Afro Turkish Diaspora

From the series Double Portrait, 2021

Listen to the Foam Talks episode with artist Cemre Yeşil in conversation with Ahmet Polat where they speak about the Turkish photography scene.

Foam Talks with Cemre Yeşil and Ahmet Polat

podcasts

past exhibitions

Kısmet

How does a new generation of image-makers from Turkey use photography to reflect on the world around them? 

As part of the multi-year project Kısmet, this online group exhibition gives a snapshot of the emerging community of contemporary image-makers from Turkey. Kısmet is inspired by longstanding cultural, diplomatic and economic ties between Turkey and the Netherlands and delves into the diverse and intricate facets of Turkish visual culture, as seen through the lens of different generations of image-makers. Here, we present the work of four talented visual artists, born after 1990, whose voices will shape the vast visual landscape in Turkey, and beyond, in the upcoming years. 

Showing a diverse range of visual styles, what connects these four artists is the profound personal investment they put in their work. Their photography holds a personal dimension that goes beyond ‘merely’ having an affinity for the chosen subject matter. Rather, their practice and the resulting bodies of work reveal a deep connection to their perception of the world around them. What stands out are the distinct translations of their inner worlds, whether this is in the methodology, subject matter or aesthetics. 

For Oğulcan Arslan, the personal comes forward not only through the story he documents, but also through photographic techniques he uses. In 

, he intimately captures a friendship by adjusting light, exposure and composition to the emotions he experiences himself or from his friend. 

Alp Peker finds solace in their photographic practice to voice their protest against unspoken issues and social taboos they experience on a daily basis. Their photographs, shown here under the title 

, are an ode to the community Alp lives in, their goals, struggles, and weirdnesses.  

Kıvılcım S. Güngörün defines her work as autobiographical fiction. The collages in 

are a direct translation of her inner workings: intuitive visual responses to questions that pop into her mind, or new questions that arise during the process.  

, Cansu Yıldıran studies the power dynamics and gender inequality that they encountered in their ancestral village in Northern Turkey. Inspired by the personal stories of the women of their family, Cansu creates emotional atmospheres that investigate their own sense of identity, of belonging and the continuous search for a safe space.

Kismet: online exhibition intro

How to

Oğulcan Arslan 

From the series All the Rivers Flow In the Nuthouse

               

Alp Peker

Untitled

From the series Amel Defteri: a notebook of deeds

From the series Amel defteri: A Notebook of Deeds

             

Kıvılcım S. Güngörün 

From the series I lab yu

From the series I Lab Yu

“My day becomes my laboratory, and I lab back.” 

                          

Cansu Yıldıran 

From the series The Dispossessed

      

Image from the series After Anahit, 2023

Kısmet: New Perspectives. Four Contemporary Image-makers from Turkey

Voor meer informatie en beeldmateriaal kunt u contact opnemen met de Press Office van Foam via pressoffice@foam.org.

Next Level: Sara Cwynar

Bij Foam geloven we dat fotografie voor jongeren een krachtig middel is om je uit te drukken. Daarom staat het stimuleren van de volgende generatie fotografen centraal in de missie van ons museum. Foam heeft de afgelopen zes jaar samengewerkt met Meervaart Studio om prachtige fotografieworkshops te creëren voor getalenteerde jongeren in Amsterdam, geleid door ervaren fotografen uit Foam's uitgebreide netwerk.  

Met trots vieren we deze vruchtbare samenwerking met een hybride presentatie in de projectruimte van het museum en op Foam's digitale platform. Deze speciale showcase is een kans om meer te weten te komen over het werk van vijf jonge makers die door de jaren heen deel hebben uitgemaakt van onze vele educatieve fotografieprojecten. Deze programma's hebben hen de middelen en begeleiding gegeven om hun visie op de wereld om hen heen vast te leggen.  

Terwijl je de tentoonstelling verkent, zul je getroffen worden door de creativiteit en originaliteit van deze jonge fotografen. Elk project benadrukt de waarde van het bieden van een platform aan jongeren om hun stem te delen. Hun werk zal anderen inspireren en aanmoedigen om de wereld op nieuwe en spannende manieren te bekijken.  

Vier samen met ons het werk van deze generatie jonge Amsterdamse creatieven.   

FINN // at the table god unhinged his ribs

Intro

Kyara 
Bhiekharie 

Rhiannon

I Want to Break Free

Karma Chameleon

Kyara Bhiekarie over haar werk 'Mijn moeder, de ZZP-er'

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Fashion

over de kunstenaar

Dina
Bousbaa

Growing pains. Chefchaouen 2017

The same route as yesterday. Tangiers 2017

Sea of opportunities. Assilah 2017

Reaching out. Amsterdam 2016

May our future be as bright. Assilah 2017

Thoughts about tomorrow. Assilah 2017

Dina Bousbaa over haar werk 'Backbone'

Iyanla 
Etnel

Pimba Doti

Bere tan bere

Teri Den

Iyanla Etnel over haar werk 'Te Yu No Sabi Owru Bun, Yu No Kan Sabi Nyun Bun'

"In de avond hangen we een gordijn over de spiegel, want iemand zou je kwaad kunnen doen via de spiegel."

Te Neti Doro

Trowé Gi Gron' Mama

Etnel onderzoekt de relatie tussen haar en haar wijlen tante. Ze zijn verbonden door dezelfde pijnlijke voeten, maar uit schaamte binnen de familie wordt hier niet over gesproken.

Deng Di Du Mi

Yasemin 
Demirözcan 

"Als kind van de diaspora heb ik altijd een afstand gevoeld tussen mezelf en het land van mijn voorouders, waarbij ik het concept 'thuis' voortdurend in twijfel trok."

Fields of Solace

"Het leven hier is eenvoudig, ver van de drukte van de stad, waar ze de rest van het jaar wonen."

Directing The Flock

Canım Dedem

Yasemin Demirözcan over haar werk 'Strangely Familiar'

Flying Shoe

Reloading Memories

"Mijn oom speelt met zijn luchtbuks voor het huis van mijn grootouders in Yeşildere. Hier heeft mijn vader de eerste tien jaar van zijn leven doorgebracht."

A Shepherd’s Pride

Wheels of Legacy

"Een Renault Toros (de in Turkije gebouwde versie van de R12) die door een uitgestrekt, open landschap navigeert en symbool staat voor eenzaamheid en de verkenning van mijn identiteit."

Tal 
Ben Yakir 

FINN // came apart in my hands

BENNI // when i ate his ribs i became a man

BENNI // or maybe just ribs braided together at the table.

RORY // there was a table i sat & ate at until i was something.

RIBS

JOHN // you know when you become something it eats you?

RORY // there was a table i sat & ate at until i was something

Foam Talent Call 2023

Woman I from the series FLAT DEATH and other pictures, 2015

Foam Talent Network Brunch, 2022

Empowering the voices of Amsterdam’s youth through photography

Voor meer informatie en beeldmateriaal kunt u kijken op www.foam.org/press of contact opnemen met de Press Office van Foam: 020 5516500 / pressoffice@foam.org

see more

Karin van Gilst appointed director of Foam

Ara Güler - A Play of Light and Shadow

Over de kunstenaar

meer bij Foam

Foam 3h: Sem Langendijk Haven

Aby Fulani

A Closer Look — Ece Gökalp

Louis Vuitton Jeff Koons Rubens Bag, 2020

"Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear."

Contemporary Floral Arrangement - #144551 (1967) #2 The Relationship is a Matter of Style, 2023

"He told me if we had everything we need, we wouldn’t need language to ask for anything."

"I’m talking about the New Woman, and a pattern which was invisible to the subjects when they lived it."

Doll Index 1, 1779-1950, 2022

Doll Index 2, 1733-1950, 2022

"I’m only doing it if it makes me feel good. Which may include buying things."

"I just want the new. I want you to be new to me and me to be new to you."

Sahara from SSENSE.com 1-2-3, 2023

Western Costume Jacket (Cheerleader), Skirt (Cheerleader) Showgirl (Bra Top, Long Fringe), 2023

Pamela as Pamela, 2023

"Turn your face toward the past future. But don’t get too nostalgic about it."

Ideal House, 2023

"Yes, I’m looking for a short-cut through the complexity and conditions of the historicity of my own age."

Tracy in Camo, 2023

Liz Johnson Artur - of life of love of sex of movement of hope, 2021

Images about images: the work of Sara Cwynar

Dad in Hollywood, LA, October 2019

Dad on his search for Hüseyin, June 2021

Dad on his search for Hüseyin, Silifke, June 2021

From the series Dad on his search for Hüseyin

Olgaç Bozalp: Dad on his search for Hüseyin

Foam on the Mercatorplein: Olgaç Bozalp –  Dad on His Search for Hüseyin 

Portrait of Benjamin Li, Peach Garden

Benjamin Li

Though almost half a century has passed since the Franco Dictatorship (1939-1975) ended in Spain, the wounds this period left behind are very much open. Young imagemakers, born after the death of Francisco Franco, address this complicated collective past in their work. In this article, we explore the topic through the work of three contemporary artists. One of them is Bebe Blanco Agterberg, whose work was exhibited in Foam 3H.  

from the series a mal tiempo buena cara

from the series A mal tiempo, buena cara

I was taught that photography is inherent with truth. A picture could be constructed, but it could not lie. When I start learning to take pictures something about this perception changed. (...)  I started to see all
the gaps where manipulation in and around
the image could appear and how this could
effect people’s memories. 

Glass

Sheung Yiu

Amin Yousefi

Monuments, Aletsch #2, 2018

Foam Talks about Ara Güler, iconic images, and photo archives, with Claartje van Dijk and Tuana Pulak

Polaroid Photography in Multiple Perspectives

Announcement Winner Foam Paul Huf Award 2024

Kısmet

Through the lens of Turkish visual culture

Kısmet: New Perspectives. Four Contemporary Image-makers from Turkey

Next Level: Sara Cwynar

Empowering the voices of Amsterdam’s youth through photography

Karin van Gilst appointed director of Foam

Ara Güler - A Play of Light and Shadow

Foam 3h: Sem Langendijk Haven

After Anahit
A Closer Look at the Work of Ece Gökalp

Images about images: reflecting on the works of Sara Cwynar

Dad on his search for Hüseyin:
about the exhibition

Foam on the Mercatorplein: Olgaç Bozalp – Dad on His Search for Hüseyin

Link room
Spain under Franco

Fotografieworkshops door Koos Breukel

Caption This
#captionthemuseum

Double Play

Hiền Hoàng

Fotoprints kopen
Hoe begin je?

Glass

Sheung Yiu

Amin Yousefi

Monuments, Aletsch #2, 2018

Foam Talks about Ara Güler, iconic images, and photo archives, with Claartje van Dijk and Tuana Pulak

Polaroid Photography in Multiple Perspectives

Announcement Winner Foam Paul Huf Award 2024

Kısmet

Through the lens of Turkish visual culture

Kısmet: New Perspectives. Four Contemporary Image-makers from Turkey

Next Level: Sara Cwynar

Empowering the voices of Amsterdam’s youth through photography

Karin van Gilst appointed director of Foam

Ara Güler - A Play of Light and Shadow

Foam 3h: Sem Langendijk Haven

After AnahitA Closer Look at the Work of Ece Gökalp

Images about images: reflecting on the works of Sara Cwynar

Dad on his search for Hüseyin:about the exhibition

Foam on the Mercatorplein: Olgaç Bozalp – Dad on His Search for Hüseyin

Link roomSpain under Franco

Fotografieworkshops door Koos Breukel

Caption This#captionthemuseum

Double Play

Hiền Hoàng

Fotoprints kopenHoe begin je?

After Anahit
A Closer Look at the Work of Ece Gökalp

Dad on his search for Hüseyin:
about the exhibition

Link room
Spain under Franco

Caption This
#captionthemuseum

Fotoprints kopen
Hoe begin je?