Press

• On view from 13 September to 3 November 2024
•  Press preview on 12 September 11am, sign up via astrid@bredaphoto.nl
  

From old industrial buildings and churches, to the rough outdoor area at ‘t Zoet, BredaPhoto is turning the city of Breda into a vast stage for photography and video art this autumn. For more than seven weeks, major international photographers and young talents will show work reflecting on the festival’s theme Journeys. The journey is a metaphor for life itself and for experiences encountered throughout, be they joyful or unsettling. It could entail a physical journey, in search of a new home, freedom or simply survival. It could also refer to a psychological or spiritual journey,  a search for one’s own identity or sense of purpose. Journeys brings together over 50 photographers and artists, inspiring visitors with their stories, encouraging them to explore new ways of seeing and being in the world.

In co-production with the Grote Kerk Breda, a monumental church in the heart of the city, BredaPhoto will host a site-specific solo exhibition by Brazilian artist Rosângela Rennó. For this, Rennó will delve into the history of the Grote Kerk, presenting new projects alongside earlier work. Rennó is a celebrated artist whose prolific career spans more than 40 years. Last summer, she received the prestigious Women in Motion award at the photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles in France. BredaPhoto and the Grote Kerk are thrilled to be working together with the artist on this exciting exhibition, which will bring renewed attention to her work in the Netherlands and in northern Europe.

With his project Dreamland, Mounir Raji pays tribute to the Morocco of his dreams. He captures his second home in the colours of late summer, evoking memories of warm reunions with his family, being able to play outside endlessly, feelings of freedom, trust and hope. With her latest project Tina in Sexbierum, Tina Farifteh brings us along on her search for a new home in a Frisian village on the Sedyk via an immersive experiential installation with video and light art.

Sakir Khader, winner of the Zilveren Camera (Silver Camera) 2023, shows topical work that focuses on the lives and survival of the inhabitants of war-stricken Palestine where his personal involvement is intensely palpable. In How Shall We Greet The Sun, Thana Faroq portrays strong women who, like her, have fled conflict zones and are trying to build a new home in the Netherlands. For his playful series Diaspora, Omar Victor Diop puts himself in the shoes of historic African figures who lived in Europe and have become part of European history. Besides these and many other established photographers and artists, BredaPhoto will also show work by young talents currently studying at ten European art academies.

Special collaborations
For this edition of the festival, BredaPhoto has initiated a number of special collaborations. Together with Fotodok, the festival presents Grounding — Stories of Migration in the StadsGalerij. In this group exhibition, seven photographers working in the Netherlands highlight the theme of first-generation migration and belonging. In co-production with Oxfam Novib and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, BredaPhoto presents Take me to the river at ‘t Zoet. This multimedia project takes us to the great rivers in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna (GBM) river basins, which originate in the majestic Himalayas and flow into the vast Sea of Bengal. The stories of people living on the banks of these mighty rivers in Nepal and Bangladesh take centre stage. These communities are constantly learning from the river, harnessing its benefits but at the same time having to adapt to the profound effects of climate change. Ukrainian collective Ukrainian Photographies accepted our invitation to join this year’s festival. They have curated a group display for the ‘t Zoet including work by three photographers from Ukraine which reflects on how the concept of “home” is impacted by the horrors of war. BredaPhoto is also proud to include the participatory project In Testimony co-created by theatre director Adelheid Roosen and artist Leendert Vooijce together with 26 Breda residents. Under the inspired leadership of Roosen and Vooijce, a diverse group of city dwellers formed pairs in search of a connection with ‘the other’. The results of this journey will be on view at the festival.

Complete Line-Up
Abdul Halik Azeez / Adelheid Roosen & Leendert Vooijce / Adrianna Chlebicka / Aimilia Theofilopoulos / Amber Dooms / Anaïs López / Andrew Jackson / Anna Gajewszky / Claudia Gordillo / Daryna Tyshchenko / Frederic St-Hilaire & Jonathan Parant/ Giany Kraan (GIGI) / Hira Nabi / Ilaria Di Biagio / Ioana Cîrlig / Joost Rutten / Koral Carballo / Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen / María Magdalena Campos-Pons / Max Grund / Mónica Alcázar-Duarte / Mounir Raji / Oliwia Fit / Omar Victor Diop / Oscar Mack / Parisa Azadi / Rosângela Rennó / Sakir Khader / Santanu Dey / Sara Francola / Sayuri Ichida / Selma Selman / Shaima Al-Tamimi / Thana Faroq / Tina Farifteh

FOTODOK X BredaPhoto: Giya Makondo-Wills / Hanna Hrabarska / Kevin Osepa / Nael Quraishi / Marwan Magroun / Sebastian Koudijzer / Thana Faroq

Oxfam Novib X Pathshala South Asian Media Institute X BredaPhoto: Amit Machamasi / Kishor Sharma / Fariha Hossain / Hadi Uddin

Ukrainian Photographies X BredaPhoto: Sergii Polezhaka, Yana Kononova, Katya Lesiv

International team
This edition of BredaPhoto has been organised by an international artistic team. BredaPhoto is proud that Dr Ileana L. Selejan and Mohamed Somji have joined Reinout van den Bergh, Astrid Hulsmann and art director Jan Schaerlackens as co-curators for this edition. Selejan is a curator, writer, researcher and currently teaches at the Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. Somji’s roles include curator and director of Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai. Ukrainian Photographies’ group exhibition is curated by Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi. Munem Wasif of the Pathshala South Asia Media Institute is involved as curator and advisor for the project Take me to the river. Grounding ─ Stories of Migration is curated by Daria Tuminas, curator at FOTODOK in Utrecht. Since the 1^st of July 2023, BredaPhoto has been led by director Friso Wijnen. Vital to the festival are its 150+ volunteers, some of whom have already started working on this year’s edition. Without volunteers there would be no BredaPhoto, it is as simple as that.

 More than photography
A visit to the BredaPhoto Festival offers more than viewing inspiring exhibitions. During the festival, BredaPhoto joins forces with various cultural partners, including Chassé Theatre and Cinema, de Nieuwe Veste, Stedelijk Museum Breda, Stadsarchief Breda and the Zen Centre. There will be theatre performances, a film programme, artist talks and performances, guided tours, walking and cycling routes, a treasure hunt for young and old, workshops in which you get to work with photography yourself. On Saturday afternoons, a special exhibition route including private residences will also be available for the public. Too much to experience in one day? Make a whole weekend of it and be surprised by a welcoming Breda!