We are thrilled to announce the launch of UNFOLDING FUTURES, the inaugural edition of a summer residency program designed to foster the growth and development of emerging photographic talents. Running from July through August, this eight-week residency offers a unique platform for contemporary photographers to immerse themselves in experimenting with new photographic formats and to share their work with the public.
UNFOLDING FUTURES will host four recent graduates from the MA Photography & Society (Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague) who followed the course ‘Exhibition Lab: Unframing & Unfolding Photography’ with lecturer and curator Nuria Bofarull, exploring new formats for photographic practices and experimenting at the intersection of photography and installation.
The residency will provide a continuation of their experimentations, and the photographers will engage in unfolding a site-specific installation at FUTURES Hub. The journey will culminate in a public event on August 31st with a collective installation and a public event inviting the photography community of Amsterdam and other photography departments.
The innovative format of UNFOLDING FUTURES is designed to create a nurturing environment that fosters both artistic exploration and professional development. By offering a space for rigorous experimentation and high-quality research, the program aims to support emerging photographers in their professional and artistic journey. Moreover, the residency emphasizes community engagement, providing participants with the opportunity to connect with the broader artistic community. UNFOLDING FUTURES embodies FUTURES Photography Hub’s commitment to nurturing new talent and contributing to the evolving landscape of contemporary photography.
PARTICIPANTS
Benjamin Morrison (Ireland)
Benjamin was born in rural Ireland in 1998. Ever a lover of questions, he seeks new and innovative ways of thinking about the world. Motivated by his concerns for the degradation of the Earth, Benjamin’s practice is developing into a critical yet sensitive exploration of human-nature relations. He currently uses image-based media and writing as active tools of artistic investigation.
Joseph Kennel (France)
Joseph Kennel (B.1996), is a visual researcher and photographer with a background in human geography, currently studying a master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Art, in The Hague, NL. He explores how physical space is an essential realm to investigate relationships to time, history, and non-human entities. Much of his work aims to pull layers of history out of landscapes, as a method of reflecting on societies’ understandings and relationships to contemporary natural spaces. His historiographical image-based practice asks us to consider how physical space is in continual flux, constantly shifting form, and meaning.
Alia Leonardi (Belgium)
Alia Leonardi is a Belgian multi-disciplinary artist based in The Netherlands and a soon-to-be graduate from the Royal Academy of the Arts, The Hague. Her background in conflict studies and visual art pushes her to constantly explore the intersections of art and societal issues. She is currently working on performativity and social media, as well as internet culture.
Daniel Zduniuk (Poland/Belgium)
Daniel Zduniuk was born in Poland and raised in Belgium and works as a visual artist and a scenographer. What drives him to create is the confrontation between human rationality and the unpredictability of the insect world. He conceives his works as speculative propositions where biological entities inhabit the exhibition space, and these two different elements - living and context - merge and evolve together.
Nuria Bofarull, curator (Barcelona)
Lecturer and curator of the Exhibition Lab: Unframing & Unfolding Photography, Nuria Bofarull’s practice focuses on photography and new formats for contemporary photography, with a special interest in interdisciplinary approaches and the intersection of photography and installation.
