Unseen Photo Fair : the participants 2024

Ben Thomas Split-43-, 2017
courtesy Projet 2.0 Gallery

The international art fair dedicated to the latest developments in contemporary photography, is thrilled to announce the 71 exhibitors of the main fair, 65 publishers of the book market and 8 Unbound projects for its upcoming 12th edition. 

« We’re happy to be able to present a truly global perspective on the latest developments in contemporary photography again. With galleries and publishers from every continent, showing the vanguard of the most relevant medium of our times: Photography. We’re also proud to continue our dedication to showing young, but passionate galleries alongside established galleries, that have been operating at the highest international level for many years. » Roderick van der Lee, Unseen’s Founding Director

Taking place from 20-22 September, with a private preview on 19 September, Unseen Photo Fair will once again transform the iconic Westergas site into a captivating hub for photography enthusiasts, collectors, and art professionals. This edition promises to be another global perspective on contemporary photography, blending established international artists and emerging talents under one roof, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas and artistic expressions. 

Bob Schalkwijk, Chapultepec Park, Mexico City, 1963 Courtesy Galerie Weisbard

Main fair

The main fair will host 71 exhibitors this year. Less exhbitiors within the same space than last year, which is due to a number of galleries opting for larger booths with dedicated presentations. First time exhibitor Einspach from Budapest has for instance dedicated a large presentation to artist Tamas Dezsö. 

Among new exhibitors are also Open Doors from London, who have been approaching photography from a rigorous curatorial perspective consistently since being founded 7 years ago, and MotorMond from Amsterdam, another platform with a strong curatorial approach, with a focus on circulating Pan Diaspora Cultures. Returning participants Homecoming Gallery, also a relatively young, dedicated platform for photography, which will open its first permanent gallery space in Amsterdam this summer, will bring a solo presentation by rising star Mia Wiener, recent recipient of the V&A Parasol Prize from the Victoria & Albert Museum and Parasol Foundation. 

Unseen also sees many returning established galleries, such as Stevenson, showing a solo presentation by prolific artist Viviane Sassen. Ellen de Bruijne, will show a unique set of photographs by artist Klaas Kloosterboer, whose work is part of established museum collections such as the Stedelijk Museum and Boijmans van Beuningen. Annet Gelink will, amongst other artists, show work of the recently departed Bertien van Manen, whose work is also in many established museum collections, such as MoMA New York, the Maison Europeen de la Photographie in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the SFA MOMA. Long term exhibitor Steiglitz19 from Antwerp will dedicate a solo presentation to the work of Dutch Caribbean artist Kevin Osepa. The award-winning artist, whose work has been recently exhibited at Buro Stedelijk and Boijmans van Beuningen, and who has won two Gouden Kalf awards for his video work, was also the recipient of the 2019 Unseen talent Award. 

The Past/Present section will feature several strongly curated presentations. Depth of Field will show a themed booth of historic and contemporary photography around the theme of photographic representation of textile imagery, including an exceptionally rare and important historic photographic copy of the infamous ‘Shroud of Turin’, also known as the ‘Holy Shroud’. Blue Lotus Gallery will bring a beautiful show of city photography of Hong Kong, including vintage works by the legendary photographer Fan Ho. Smith Davidson will show a dialogue between works from the estate of star photographer Terry O’Neill and new work by Janette Beckman, who currently has a solo exhibiton at Foam photography museum. 

AirRich, Trophy courtesy galerie Rademaker

Book Market

With 65 independent publishers and dealers in photography books from around the globe, Unseen’s Book Market, offers a treasure trove for book enthusiasts, collectors, and photography aficionados seeking to expand their libraries and delve deeper into the art form. The selection of publishers is a deliberate mix of internationally renowned veterans and young publishing initiatives.

Unbound

This year’s edition of Unbound, the fair’s section dedicated to exploring the expanding outer limits of the photographic universe, will see another range of ambitious projects and installations. Projects include the latest video work of Yael Bartana, whose work is part of the collections of the world’s most prestigious museums, such as MoMA, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou. 

City Programme

Amsterdam will also again offer a wonderful range of photography focused museum exhibitions during Unseen. The city’s strong photographic tradition with a focus on the medium’s avant-garde, is reflected in the programming in the many exceptional photography exhibitions, such as a large solo exhibition of Viviane Sassen at Foam, a large solo exhibition of a new body of work by Awoiska van der Molen and a talent presentation of young Belgian photographers at the Brakke Grond. 

Online catalogue on Galleryviewer.com available from 12 September 

About Westergas

Westergas is an art and culture village where historical values and innovative ideas come together. With its headstrong yet typically Amsterdam character, this unique, monumental location in Westerpark manages to surprise its visitors time and again.

Practical Info :

Hours 

Friday 20 September  11.00 – 21.00 hours
Saturday 21 September  11.00 – 19.00 hours
Sunday 22 September  11.00 – 19.00 hour

Location 

Westergas | Klönneplein | 1014 DB | Amsterdam

Tickets

Available from 1 July 

Online dayticket: � 22,50 p.p.     

Tickets can only be booked online in advance and are valid on a regular exhibition day of your choice  

Available via: 

 Unseenamsterdam.com/#tickets