On September 17, 18, and 19, Unseen once again presented a photography art fair at Amsterdam’s Westergas. With contributions from 65 international galleries—the largest number in its history—the edition offered a dynamic and wide-ranging program.
In Dutch photography, Unseen presented a new generation of photographers alongside museum-established artists. The fair featured work by major names such as Bertien van Manen (Annet Gelink Gallery), Erwin Olaf (Ron Mandos Gallery), and Ruud van Empel (Flatland Gallery), as well as artists including Jan Hoek (Vriend van Bavink) and Melanie Bonajo (AKINCI).
Internationally, the fair featured work by established names such as Valerie Belin (Flatland) and Isaac Julien (Ron Mandos Gallery), as well as rising stars including Antony Cairns (Stieglitz 19) and Hassan Hajjaj (193 Gallery).
Past/Present
For the first time in its history, Unseen turned its attention to vintage photography from before 2000. Highly curated presentations created a clear thematic dialogue between vintage work and the work of contemporary photographers.
For example, the renowned German gallery Julian Sander presented historic work from one of the most important series in photographic history, People from the 20th Century by August Sander, accompanied by a contemporary interpretation of the photographs by New York artist Michael Somoroff.
Unbound
With Unbound, a section where standalone projects explored and expanded the boundaries of photography on a monumental scale, Unseen 2021 strengthened its commitment to experimental, groundbreaking photography. In the 700 m2 Transformatorhuis, artists were given space to move beyond traditional two-dimensional photography.
They did so through enormous installations that intersected with installation art, video art, digital art, sculpture, and other art forms. Unbound was created in partnership with the participating galleries, museums, cultural institutions, and project spaces.
As in previous years, Unseen also presented a book market. This popular fair section for independent publishers of photography books and magazines offered visitors an extensive selection of special publications, along with numerous book launches and signing sessions by photographers.
From early September, the online catalog was available on the online gallery platform of Unseen Amsterdam and Art Rotterdam. In addition to all exhibited works and their prices, the catalog included extensive background information about the artists and artworks.
