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BredaPhoto Ambassadors 2026
The first work that truly stood out to me was Rafael Soldi’s Imagined Futures. His portrait series beautifully represents what I believe is the universal feeling of having to let go of dreams, feelings and versions of yourself and make room for change and growth in hopes of one day finding our truest self. The rich range of emotion could be felt through each of the portraits, as if saying everything that words would fail to describe. As a young woman living abroad, not only did I feel familiarity in the journey that his collection portrays, but also a deep understanding of Soldi’s necessity to document it.
His other series Entre Hermanos, despite a separate collection, feels like the natural continuation of both his journey as an individual and an artist. I felt like through it Soldi has created a community, where he can share his experience and make room for others to partake on their own terms in this ritual of letting go. Underlining that deep down we are all the same and compassion goes a long way. When you visit Breda Photo be sure to put Rafael Soldi’s work on your must-see list.
Postcards from Khartoum, for me, depicts the true meaning of resilience and search of solace. It is a collection on the political instability in Sudan captured through the lenses of various Sudanese photographers. What struck me the most is that the horrors of war are depicted through a rich array of the different perspectives and visual styles of each photographer. Displacement, migration, loss, belonging and the true meaning of home, are all topics that the photographers have devoted their work to, yet how they depict them comes down to personal state and perception.
I wanted to include Postcards from Khartoum, because it brings up an important conversation that, unfortunately, becomes more relevant by the day. With a constant reminder of what is going on in the world and how fragile everything is, it is easy to get desensitized, to forget there are human lives behind the numbers on the news.
For me, this collection cuts through that. More than anything, it tells human stories and by sharing those real, personal experiences, it reignites feelings we are all-too-familiar with and levels us with the reality, reminding us of the importance of speaking out.
The last installation I want to shed light on is the International Talent Programme. It was remarkable to see how the same topic could be depicted in so many different ways and the resulting in so in many unique artworks. I was especially touched by the works of Lara Rau and Ties van de Water, who, funnily enough, were both chosen for Breda Photo’s main exhibition.
What drew me to both was personal recognition. Rau captured the all-too-familiar feelings of sorrow, guilt and agitation that come with disagreeing with a relative, and made it feel less isolating. Van de Water’s collection touched me deeply, as it reminded me that my rock-loving grandmother still lives on through our memories, our stories and all the rocks she loved collecting.
I chose to highlight the whole International Programme because, despite my personal connection to those two artworks, the program as a whole offers a huge variety of perspectives, emotions, and issues worth addressing. Among all 45 stories, I believe everyone can find one of resilience or solace that resonates with them, which is exactly why it is a must-stop.