Emerging Belgian Photography

Emerging Belgian Photography

For its 11th edition, Fotomuseum Antwerpen has picked 10 promising photographers with a Belgian connection. Alumni include Rami Hara and Sébastien Cuvelier, who have gone on to exhibit in Finland, France and Poland. This year, .tiff 2023 explores topics of colonialism, class and gender.

In 12321, Yao Yuan juxtaposes images before, after and during the pregnancy of artist Nagakura Nami. A woman in a red sweater stretches her arms skyward in front of a snow-covered Mount Fuji. In a picture taken months later, she cradles her bump in a scarlet kimono, once again posed in front of the mountain. This sense of attention toward womanhood also emerges in Sarah Stone’s series La Vie de Camille (2023). Stone stages photographs of her close friend in bedrooms and locker rooms, using a personal archive. The series highlights the adoration felt between the two women, and is filled with a sense of care.

Elsewhere, in Comment je suis tombé amoureux d’une ligne (2022), Emilio Azevedo connects technological progress – like the establishment of telephone lines – with crises like deforestation. Likewise, Fabrice Schneider investigates landscapes, specifically through climbing. In one image, a wounded arm reaches up a wall, speaking to the association of violence with success. He notes that privilege accompanies verticality, in the case of mountain sports, whilst those without wealth are forced to live on horizontal planes.

FOMU provides a dynamic space to celebrate new artists, joining the ranks of programmes such as Foam’s Talent initiative in The Netherlands. This year’s exhibition is particularly powerful, as it exemplifies the potential of images to help us understand people and social structures that surround us.


FOMU, .tiff 2023 | Until 8 October

fomu.be

Words: Chloe Elliott


Image Credits:

  1. © Sarah Stone, From the series La Vie de Camille 
  2. © Yao Yuan, From the series 12321
  3. © Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-Nti, From the series Golden Boy