LENS OP DE MENS MAGAZINE

 

LodM Magazine 2021

Through this link you can consult our extended Lens op de Mens Magazine on-line.

In this programme booklet you will find a map of the exhibition route, all the names of the selected photographers, information about the guest exhibitions, opening hours, partners and sponsors, and more useful information.

The magazine will also be available at CC Palethe and in displays at several places along the exhibition route and at the local bars and restaurants.

 

OVERVIEW GUEST EXHIBITIONS 2021

 

Cultural Center Palethe

Barbara Vandendriessche
Eddy Verloes | Buiten Zinnen / Losing Our Minds
RPS Benelux Chapter 2021 Print Exhibition
WPC Team Belgium 2021

Jeugdlaan 2, 3910 Pelt
GPS 51.211239° NB 5.428118° OL

Every working day 9.00 – 16.30 h and during activities in the cultural center
From 4 July, open every Sunday from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.

St. Martin’s Church

Bert Daenen | behind the mask

Kerkdijk 2-4, 3910 Pelt
GPS 51.211111° NB 5.425730° OL

Every day 10.00 – 17.00 h except during church services

Kerkdijk

Awards Winners 2019

Kerkdijk, next to the St. Martin’s church
GPS  51.211010° NB 5.426558 OL
Accessible all day

Footpath Rodenbachlaan – Bemvaartstraat

Members of the Jury 2021

Rodenbachlaan   GPS 51.212879° NB 5.425396° OL
Bemvaartstraat   GPS 51.213406° NB 5.424647° OL
Accessible all day

Finse piste / Finnish running track

Evi Polak | Real heroes never sleep
HelPhoto, Helsinki, Finland | Nordic Village
Vizualizator, Belgrad, Serbia

Vloeterstraat, access via parking at the Heilig Hart-chapel
GPS 51.209813° NB 5.428673° OL
Accessible all day

Nieuwe Markt / New Market

Ilan Wittenberg (NZL) | Faces of Caïro

Nieuwe Markt
GPS 51.209786° NB 5.423998° OL
Accessible all day

CC Palethe

Jeugdlaan 2,  3900 Pelt

Barbara Vandendriessche

 

Photographer / sculptor / visual poet

‘With my pictures and sculptures I seek for the beauty in the tragical, in pain.’

I worked for 20 years as a director and set designer at the theater. But more and more, photography, which I initially regarded as a sideline, invaded my professional path. I discovered how my experience within the theater influenced the language of my photography and experienced a sense of “back to basics”, of re-sourcing. In order to be able to clarify this more, I decided to leave the black box in 2017 and tell my story on the basis of photos and sculptures. My photos are often staged and focus on physicality, emotion or expression. They look for a physical and psychological vulnerability. My sculptures are a study of damage, both in the use of matter and in the expression of an emotionality. The broken, the damaged, the unfinished and confused are represented in different ways through heads and bodies. Yet there is always a “sparkle”, sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally, perceptible.

I create the whole image as photographer, stylist and set designer.

My photography is theatrical. But ‘theatricality’ is an elastic concept and also has many negative connotations: bombastic, exaggerated, false or artificial. This is how I define it myself: theatralization is the abstracting and enlargement of reality to evoke emotion in the viewer, not through reason, but directly appealing to an approach that can be traced to our ritual instincts. Theatricality as a pre-aesthetic instinct.

That is what I try to represent with my photography: how to portray the emotional body tragically? How to create a tragic image that expresses emotion and triggers emotion? Search for images with an intensity, no images with intentions. Images you look at because they tell you something, even if you do not immediately know what. Images that evoke a story, without being narrative themselves. Often with the female body as an expression of beauty

www.barbaravdd.be (photography and sculptures)
www.barbaravandendriessche.org (theater and scenography)

 

Eddy Verloes | Losing our minds

In CC Palethe Eddy Verloes exhibits photos from his project “Buiten zinnen / Losing Our Minds”.

On a blustery day in the spring of 2020 Eddy Verloes met a group of excited Hasidic Jewish boys on a Belgian beach, an encounter resulting in a series of photographs which would travel the world and make his name as a photographer. He asked the poet, Benno Barnard, who knows and loves Jewish culture, to write poems, to accompany the images. Losing Our Minds is the moving and witty result of their cooperation. Inspired by the photos and poems, Bart Bekker and Jan Vanwinckel of the studio project The river curls around the town took up the challenge to set these lyrics to music. The result of their cooperation is undoubtedly unique. The photographs, poems and music have been brought together in a book with CD, Buiten zinnen/Losing Our Minds, published by Poëziecentrum vzw (May 2021)
poëziecentrum.be

Eddy Verloes describes the connecting thread of his photographs as the eternal quest for the human soul. His focus on detail enhances the narrative character of his work: it’s never about the camera.

A sense of humour and a preference of misty landscapes are an integral part of his pictures, many of which were collected on three previous books. Losing our minds is his first international publication. He was selected as one of the best contemporary photographers worldwide by the American website All-About-Photo.

My series “Losing our minds” was taken at the beginning of the corona crisis 2020: a bizarre, but extremely fascinating period. Man loses his mind because a stormy situation presents itself that is new and challenging for him. Fear tries to overpower him, he freezes, starts to reflect on the world and on the punishment that Mother Nature seems to send us. We have treated our Mother Earth too lightly, demanded too much of her in our egoism. Reflection is necessary.

I want this poetic-philosophical reflection to speak through my images in these corona times. In my series “Losing our minds” I consciously show only young people who are looking for themselves, for the meaning of life and the relationship between man and nature. It is sometimes difficult to draw the line between realism and surrealism, between reality and madness. Are those figures real or staged in my photos? Sometimes we as a layman have the same reaction: is this the real world in which we live or is this madness / surrealism? These are photos of ultra-Orthodox Jews who can enjoy their freedom in an unorthodox way in the storm (of their lives) and escape the lockdown.

My images however try to transcend the anecdotal and in that sense they not only reflect what is going on with the corona crisis in 2020, but they try to be a universal expression. They could take place anywhere in the world and not just on the Belgian coast where these photos were taken in one day and within one hour. The young people in my photos are of course a symbol of change / revolution / going against the tide. They symbolize spring that starts anew every year. Within these young people you see in my images “Einzelgänger”, those who only try to compete against society. Some idealists throw themselves completely and don’t care about anything. Their slogan is straightforward. More than ever we realize through this crisis that man is a social animal and it is difficult to stay in his room. In group we are strong, we go for it and we climb the highest mountains. In this case: dunes of course.

Ultimately, we are so dependent on the forces of nature that we cannot help but be guided by the flow. I consciously placed “Statues in the storm” last because I think the symbolism is the greatest: people become statues, as it were, puny – sometimes pathetic – beings in the universe. The wandering man looking for his own way, reflecting how to deal with himself, the others and the earth.

Is there no hope, no spring found in my images? Definitely. Youth represents spring. She sings, fights (a way), cries, laughs, works, prays and admires. All these aspects can be found in these (primal) images. Let us all be a Ramses Shaffy (famous Dutch singer): self-willed paving our own way with respect for themselves, the Other and Mother Nature.

Benno Barnard

lives in the English countryside after more than thirty years in Flanders. The five times reprinted Het trouwservies (2017) is his most recent book of poetry. Dagboek van een landjonker (2013) and Zingen en creperen (2019) are the first parts of a large diary project, Groetjes uit het Avondland (Greetings from the Occident).

The river curls around the town

is the musical project of Bart Bekker and Jan Vanwinckel. They bring an elegantly mysterious mix of electronics and listening pop, subdued and groovy at the same time. They released the album More than a break in 2008 and the album Nightshadows in 2020. Both albums received rave reviews.
You can listen to the music to the poetry via the QR codes.

www.eddyverloes.be
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benno_Barnard
www.therivercurlsaroundthetown.com

 

RPS Benelux Chapter 2021 Print Exhibition

 

RPS logo

About thirty pictures by members of the Benelux Chapter of the Royal Photographic Society will be exhibited as part of a collaboration between LodM and RPS.

https://rps.org/chapters/benelux/about/

 

 

 

WPC – Belgian selection for the World Photographic Cup 2021

 

Logo WPC

In the cafeteria of CC Palethe we show you the Belgian selection for the World Photographic Cup 2021.

This international competition is also called the Olympic Games of Photography.

For the 2021 edition, 38 country teams from 5 continents registered.

Category Commercial: Piroska Mihalka, Sven Van Roy, Marc Wallican
Category Illustration/Digital Art: Katti Borré, Carine Van Gerven, Sven Van Roy
Category Nature (Landscape/Wildlife): Ann Coppens, Robert Smits, Kurt Vandeweerdt
Category Portrait: Filip Naudts, 2Photographers (Paul Gheyle & Jürgen de Witte), Robert Biesemans
Category Reportage/Photojournalism: Filip Claus, Evi Polak, Filip Santens
Category Wedding: Robert Biesemans, Raïs De Weirdt, Evi Polak

We are very pleased to announce that our festival chair Carine Van Gerven has been selected for Team Belgium with a picture in the Illustration / Digital Art category.

www.worldphotographiccup.org

 

 

St. Martin’s Church

 

Bert Daenen | behind the mask

© Bert Daenen | Achter het masker For the Tongeren photographer Bert Daenen, the corona crisis was a good time to look for the person behind the mouth mask.

With the exhibition “behind the mask” photographer Bert Daenen wants to give the care providers a face and a voice, to show the people behind the anonymous term ‘care’.

He went to the Vesalius Hospital in Tongeren, the Jessa Hospital in Hasselt, and the Saint-Trudo Hospital in Sint-Truiden. There he photographed doctors, nurses and support staff after what may have been the most intense period of their careers.

We are exhibiting a selection from the photos that were on display during the summer of 2020 in the Refuge House in Hasselt.

www.hetportret.be

Opening hours Saint-Martin’s Church: every day 10.00 – 17.00 h, except during church services

 

 

Kerkdijk

Next to the St. Martin’s church

Award Winners Lens op de Mens 2019

 

Martin Krystýnek | Gold Award Professional Photographers

 

Martin Krystýnek

Multi-award winning photographer born in Poprad, Slovakia. Martin Krystýnek obtained the title of Master Qualified European Photographer (MQEP) in 2019. He is president of the Association of Professional Photographers of Slovak Republic APFSR.

He started working as a professional in 2010. In that year he worked in South America, especially in Paraguay, where he gained the necessary experience. He worked for many important people in the field of politics, modeling or show business.

After years of working in photography, his name became his brand and acquired professional success and experience. In the past 4 years, he has won over 300 international awards, gold, silver and bronze medals and numerous honorable mentions.

His photos have been published in many international photo books around the world.

Nowadays he also works as a curator on the most prestigious, internationally curated 1x.com photo site.

Martin also works as a jury member at international photo competitions. He is a jury member of the QEP and MQEP qualifications of FEP, the Federation of European Professional Photographers, where he has also served as a judge at the FEP Photographer of The Year Awards.

www.martinkrystynek.com

Martin Krystýnek virtuel gallery

From 23 April to 23 September 2021, Martin’s series ‘Sensual beauty’ will be on display at a virtual exhibition organised by the XXI Century Gallery and the Polish Association of Art Photographers.

Definitely worth a look at http://virtualgallery.forphotography.eu

 

 

 

TijsPosen | Silver Award Professional Photographers

 

Lens op de Mens 2019 | Silver Professionals © Tijs PosenTijs Posen. In my main profession I am the manager of an audiovisual company that produces reports and documentaries for a very diverse group of customers. Both channels such as VRT, VTM, Kanaal 2, VITAYA, Vier and TVL as the best-known production houses call on my services as director, reporter and cameraman.

A number of productions can be viewed on the www.pry.be site.

As a lover of beautiful images, I photograph every day for more than 25 years. I have been working as a professional photographer for 5 years.

Who am I
I purify my work. I want to capture the story that an image has to tell as accurately as possible in the best conditions. Light, color, decor, atmosphere… everything should be right. I understand my subject and intensively capture an atmosphere that belongs to the subject.

Working process
I am convinced that the best images are the most spontaneous. Those that are not forced. That is why I work in a gentle way. I approach my subject without being pushy and let it retain its individuality.

Vision
An image must appear as spontaneous as possible and must be credible. This is possible when light, decor and atmosphere go together perfectly and let the subject come into its own.

Passion
My passion is kneading an image until it has its shape that I know is the perfect one.

Ideas
In photography over the centuries, each period has its own character, its own style. Although it is difficult to escape it, I try not to be influenced by the contemporary styles, fashions, but to maintain a consistent style of its own. A style that is just there when I take my photo.

tijsposen.be

 

Filip Santens | Bronze Award Professional Photographers

 

© Filip Santens

Photographer Filip Santens is an experienced master photographer who works with great passion on a beautiful portrait that shows the photographed person at its best.

www.filipsantens.be

 

 

 

Livinus Bleyen | Gold Award Amateur Photographers

 

Lens op de Mens 2019 | Gold Professionals © Livinus BleyenI live in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, where I have been a photographer for at least 35 years.
My photographic roots are in the darkroom but today my photography is 100 % digital. 

I enjoy photographing sports and movements, animals, people and places, landscapes,… in fact anything and everything in front of my camera. I also enjoy producing altered images.
Regularly I am taking part in regional, national and international photo competitions and exhibitions. My pictures have been shown in more than 50 countries, in 5 continents.

In 2020 I received from the International Federation of Photographic Art – FIAP, as the first Belgian so far, the 9th artistic title: Excellence FIAP diamond 3 (EFIAP/d3).

livinusbleyen.com

 

Patje Vandebroek | Silver Award Amateur Potographers

 

© Patje VandebroekVandebroek Jacky officially, baptized Patrick, called Patje and sometimes Pietje.
Born and raised and still living and working in Neerpelt (B), now Pelt.

As a 15-16 year old I was already fascinated by photography. My first decent camera was a Chinon CM-4, already with a power winder and 1 lens, the 70-210 mm.
After being married and becoming a father, photography is put on the back burner.

Around the age of 40 I suddenly got a digital camera (Minolta) in my hands from a friend who had bought himself a new Canon, without his wife knowing. And the train had left again.

I think I have a fairly good understanding of photography and I like nothing better than passing on the knowledge I have to others, which is very satisfying. It is even better when you see that those people then pass it on to others. That is what we all do it for.

As long as my health allows it, I will continue to photograph, because it remains a fascinating hobby, although they say that everything has already been photographed. This only adds to the challenge.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/150930629@N08/

 

Marc Apers | Bronze Award Amateur Photographers

 

Freelance photographer, always looking for typical black and white subjects with an emphasis on shapes and structures, light and dark, sun and shadow. Subjects where color is not very important. These subjects can be found in the human face and more specifically in the eyes, the “soul” of man. My portfolio therefore mainly consists of black and white portraits. Making portraits of people in their natural environment is the subject that interests me the most. For me, people are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Many say that I possess a natural ability to approach people appropriately and thus persuade people to pose in front of my lens. A judgment that I leave to you, I know that it is extremely important to always show respect and sincere interest for the person portrayed. That is why I never make a portrait without first starting a small conversation with the people I meet. I openly and honestly introduce myself to them as if I am one of them. A wink, a short chat and a smiling face will convince them to pose for me. The greatest pleasure, however, is that afterwards they sometimes tell me their entire life story. Combining emotion and story in one image is my ultimate goal.

An overview of my current work can be admired on the 1x.com photo site for which I also act as one of the moderators without obligation.

www.marcapers.be

 

Glenn Vanderbeke | Most Promising Young Photographer under 30 years of age

 

Glenn Vanderbeke © Kjeld Pickery

With Torhout as his base, Glenn Vanderbeke (°1989) discovers Belgium. At the age of 20 he took his first SLR camera in hand. Not long after that, photography evolved into an obsession. As a nature and ‘outdoor’ enthusiast, he mainly focuses on the Belgian landscape.

In 2016 he launched his series #yesthisisalsobelgium on Instagram with which he shares the beauty and diversity of Belgium with his viewers. The loneliness or just the hustle and bustle typify his images, as do the many trees that work as a red line in his portfolio.

Over the years, his view of photographing landscapes has changed. What was initially experienced as a disturbing element, is now an added value. Empty landscapes are timeless and beautiful to look at, but the coincidental presence of a person in the right place gives the photo just that little bit of extra atmosphere.

glennvanderbeke.com
www.instagram.com/glenn_vanderbekeinfo@glennvanderbeke.com
info@glennvanderbeke.com

 

Peter Testelmans | Most Creative Photography

 

Lens op de Mens 2019 | Award Creative Photography © Peter TestelmansIt is only with your Heart that you can see rightly what is essential….

A dancer uses the full potential of his body, to create a moving sculpture that is in perfect harmony, with the music and the emotions that are alive in his being. Visualising every feeling in a continuous movement to create their dance.

Capturing this moment, that maybe only exists for a split second, invisible to the eye, made eternal in a single image.

This is my Art. My gift to you, your moment, everlasting….

museheartphotography.com

 

© Martin Krystýnek

Footpath Rodenbachlaan – Bemvaartstraat

Access via Rodenbachlaan next to house n. 12

The Jury

 

The jury | Johan Brouwers, chairman (BEL)

I like to capture the image of people as they occur spontaneously. No deliberate or requested poses. Snapshots in which their glance, their attitude often tells a lot about what they think, including me.

Was also jury chairman of the 2017 and 2019 edition. QEP – Qualified European Photographer. Board member of the National Association of Professional Photographers (NVB). Chairman of the EP jury (European Photographer), a basic qualification for photographers, awarded by the FEP – Federation of European Professional Photographers. Chairman of the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards Competition from the 2019 edition.

 

The jury | Caroline Alida (BEL)

Caroline Alida was one of the guest photographers of Lens op de Mens 2019. Her work was on display at the Maria Hospital.

All the projects of Caroline Alida (BEL) are developed around a theme and are the result of years of work. Her focus is on human interest photography of marginal people. Her pictures show the inner world of these vulnerable people. Her main projects have been published: Bori / Healers of the Soul (Niger) – exhibited at FOMU 2010 – and Hearing Songs in Pine Trees (Eastern Siberia). Her work is a mix of both analog and digital photography.

Recently she was selected by LensCulture to participate in an intensive Masterclass Visual StoryTelling. As a result, story and environment have gained more importance in her recent work.

www.caroline-alida.be

 

The jury | Kattoo Hillewaere (BEL)

Freelance photographer and teacher at CVO Gent and Vorming Plus. She organises photo trips to Russia and gives many short and very practical workshops with the idea that investing in knowledge is smarter and more sustainable than investing in material. In the same spirit, she regularly writes articles for Shoot magazine.

kattoo.be

 

The jury | Zjuul Devens (BEL)

Visual artist, photographer, filmmaker, graduated in Visual Arts and Photography. He was lecturer in audiovisual communication and multimedia at the Plantijn Hogeschool of the Province of Antwerp, department of communication management.

He exhibits both nationally and internationally, individually and in group. This is done with photographic work, video installations, slide projections, video, but also with sculpture and installations.

He also collaborates with and for other visual artists, dancers, musicians, theater makers. As a professional photographer, he was a devil-doing-all. Passionate macro photographer. Now he is mainly concerned with the theme of transience. He likes to give dead half-decayed insects a “new life”.

As a volunteer for Child Help, he also photographs and films in Africa. There he discovered the love for documentary photography.

For him, photography and art are a part of his life.

 

The jury | Andy Hens (BEL/DEU)

To disclose the nature of man through photographs, that is the highest art of photography.
Usually people just look after a photo. People rarely look into it.

MQEP – Master Qualified European Photographer. Belgian photographer who lives and works in Germany. Experienced jury member for the QEP and Master QEP qualifications of the Federation of European Professional Photographers. Photography teacher at the Handwerkskammer in Dortmund. Experienced cgi artist (cumputer-generated imagery).

https://www.europeanphotographers.eu/members/andy-j-j-hens/

 

The jury | Jim Lowe (GBR)

Jim has been a professional photographer for 40 years, during which time he has worked for the UK’s Ministry of Defence, Portsmouth Polytechnic & Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company. The majority of his images are now captured using digital technology, but he also undertakes assignments using close-up and macro photography using large format cameras. He is well known for his black and white landscapes for which he uses traditional film, hand printing them to exhibition quality. These have been acquired by collectors as far afield as Japan, India, South Africa, Canada and The Republic of Ireland as well as the UK and Europe (London, Moscow, Bath, Wiltshire and Cornwall).

From 2009-2018, as well as continuing with his other activities, Jim, has been lecturing at Falmouth University, Cornwall on The Marine and Natural History Course and was made Award Leader in September 2012.

Jim Lowe was a Vice-President of the Federation of European Photographers from 2000 to 2010 and is currently Chairman of their Qualifications Board. He was amongst the first European Professional Photographers to achieve the FEP, QEP distinction in Architecture and from the 45 British photographers who have gained this qualification is the only one qualified and practising Architectural Photography.

www.jimlowe.co.uk/frontpage2.htm

 

The jury | Carol Olerud (UK)

Carol gained her Associate Distinction with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) in April 2018 in the Conceptual and Contemporary genre with a panel of fifteen photos.

She is the joint organiser for the Benelux Chapter of the RPS since June 2020. Carol runs the Study Group Zoom sessions every three weeks, which is very successful.

Carol was born in Australia and lives in The Netherlands, she is an active member of many photography groups. She is the Dutch co-ordinator of the National Group Documentary Photography in the Fotobond, with 38 members from all over the country.

Carol is also the co-ordinator of the photography collective Visie+ which is a regional group. She also is the chairman at the local photo club Fotowerkgroep De Verbeelding and she is also a member of LeVeL 5, which is a small group of amateur photographers.

Carol has experience in judging photos on regional, national and international levels. She was a judge in the Holland International Image Circuit of 2020 where nearly 7,200 photos were judged over a period of three days, a massive task. There were 683 participants from 63 countries.

At regional levels Carol has judged at several themed competitions, e.g. ‘Abstract’, Street photography and other bodies of series of work. She has also judged at yearly portfolio competitions where the best overall winners were selected.

For the Benelux Chapter members yearly exhibitions 2019 and 2020 Carol was one of the jury members for the selection of the best photos.

Carol takes part in masterclasses and workshops and has a general good knowledge of photography in all it’s aspects and genres. She takes part in competitions, has exhibitions and is currently candidate BMK (Bonds Meester Klasse of the Fotobond).

www.carololerud.com
www.rps.org

 

The jury | Jos Verhoogen (BEL)

If I have to find one constant topic, it has to be man himself. Man is in the centre in most of my pictures. Whether it is a famous artist or a mother to be, it is always a challenge to find the right link. A feeling of trust which allows you to make powerful pictures. Pictures that mean more than just the right light or the perfect focus.

MQEP – Master Qualified European Photographer. 40 years of experience as a professional photographer, lecturer in reportage photography and several times as a jury member for the FEP and other international photo competitions. His photos won numerous national and international awards.

www.verhoogen.be

Nieuwe Markt / New Market

 

Ilan Wittenberg (NZL) | Faces of Cairo

Ilan WittenbergAfter a technical-scientific education, Ilan Wittenberg made the switch to photography. Ilan arrived in New Zealand in 2001. His career as a photographer started quite recently in 2011. The people, atmosphere and landscape of New Zealand had a great influence on his switch to photography. He quickly gained recognition by winning numerous national and international awards. In his monochrome portraits, he captures the character of his subjects superbly, making use of the available ambient light. His work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and in well-known photography magazines worldwide.

Read more about Ilan Wittenberg in his biography.
ilanwittenberg.com

Accessible all day

Finse Piste / Finnish running track

Access via the car park in the Vloeterstraat next to the Holy Heart Chapel

 

Evi Polak | Real heroes never sleep

Evi Polak © Els Huart​Evi Polak is a QEP – Qualified European Reportage Photographer.
She belongs to the “Fearless Photographers”, a worldwide group of 3000 wedding photographers. But in Pelt, she shows that she is also skilled in other branches of reportage photography.

Creativity is one of the important characteristics of a good photographer. Because of the justifiable COVID-19 measures, she was temporarily unable to do her job as a photographer. Thanks to her diploma as a nurse, she followed her heart during these bizarre yet ‘grim’ times. Evi regularly worked in the emergency rooms of the UZA in Antwerp, where they also have a COVID-19 unit. An ideal starting point for a haunting series of reportage photos in the heart of COVID-19.

www.fotografiepolak.com

 

HelPhoto, Helsinki, Finland | Nordic Village

 

HelPhoto logo

Nordic Village is a talent platform fostered by Helsinki Photo Festival to support emerging Nordic photographers. The platform engages visual artists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland to showcase their works to a broad audience.

The program includes exhibitions and educational activities with experts and artists from the Nordics, inviting photo enthusiasts of all ages from any gender, race or class.

In 2021, the Art Park at Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre will act as the host for Nordic Village exhibitions. The group exhibitions, both in Finland and Belgium are curated by Rafael Rybczynski.

A Nordic seminar with distinguished visual artists, gallerists, photography teachers, photo editors and book publishers will be organised on August 27, 2021.

Helsinki Photo Festival ry, is a non-profit association, created to disseminate i nformation about photography and visual media and to attract and maintain i nterest i n them i n Finland and abroad.

Helsinki Photo Festival brings a new art experience to the Finnish capital. Curated photography exhibitions can be discovered 24/7 i n public spaces. Every year, the festival selects 50 open call winners from all over the world. The contest is j udged by a j ury of leading experts. The festival’s theme in 2021 is Fearless.

FINLAND

  • MARJA SALEVA | He is so obsessed with me
    www.marjasaleva.com
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Helphoto

SWEDEN

  • JENNY ROVA | Älskling a self-portrait through the eyes of my lovers
    www.jennyrova.net
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Nordic Village, Helphoto
  • SEBASTIAN SARDI | Black Diamond
    www.sebastiansardi.com
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Nordic Village, Helphoto
  • MARCUS GUSTAFSSON | Vibrant Days
    www.marcusgustafsson.se
    Open call finalist: Theme Anarchy 2019, Nordic Village, Helphoto

DENMARK

  • BIRGITTA STEEN | Affection
    www.basz.dk
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Nordic Village, Helphoto
  • LAURA BISGAARD KROGH and ANDREAS HAUBJERG | A Question of Honor
    www.andreashaubjerg.com
    Open call finalist: Theme Trust 2020, Nordic Village, Helphoto

ICELAND

  • MARIA KJARTANS | Connection
    www.mariakjartans.com
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Nordic Village, Helphoto

NORWAY

  • STIG MARLON WESTON | 1 to 1
    www.weston.no
    Open call finalist: Theme Love 2018, Nordic Village, Helphoto

More about the Nordic Village exhibitors in this document

Helsinki Photo Festival * Centre of the NORDIC VILLAGE
www.helsinkiphotofestival.com/nordic-village
info@helsinkiphotofestival.com

 

 

Vizualizator, Belgrade, Serbia

 

Vizualizator Photo Festival Serbia logo

VIZUALIZATOR is a international photography festival in Belgrade, dedicated to professional photography. Launched in 2013 as the first photography festival established in Serbia and region with predominantly documentary photography orientation.

It is a multidisciplinary event that connects institutions and individuals from different fields of culture, education, media and art. The festival consists of a series of exhibitions that showcase photographs of both the world’s leading names and local exhibitors, a series of panel discussions on various topics of importance to the photography scene, as well as workshops, portfolio reviews and masterclasses.

Exhibitors on Vizualizator are influential names in photography world and representatives of the world’s most prominent media and agencies, Pulitzer price winners, World Press Photo winners and members of distinguished photo agencies such as VII agency, Magnum, Associated Press, Reuters, etc

Vizualizator brings together a large number of participants from public life, photographers, media organizations, journalists, editors, institution representatives, University professors, experts from various fields and a large number of volunteers. It creates platform

  • Activities during Vizualizator focus on areas such as media literacy through photograph reading, curatorial practice, the theory of photography, ethics and professionalization in media photography, education and photography market
  • It explores photography as social phenomena, powerful media tool and art form.

A great number of Faculties are taking part in the festival, encouraging a more active involvement on the part of the students, who are the most active members of society. The topics of the festival include: the impact of photography on society and social change, the importance and impact of culture management, the importance and role of curatorial practice, the role of photography in journalism, as well as creating a photography market in Serbia.

Vizualizator mission is to provide education, promote photography, visual culture and photojournalism, and offer professionalization standards in the field of photography.

During the festival, numerous workshops will be open for professional photographers, students from different universities, curators, as well as the general public.

Part of the Vizualizator is Press Photo Serbia, an exhibition of the best photographs from the national photo contest for the best media photography and an award ceremony.

List of Serbian exhibitors:
Aleksandar Plavevski, Aleksandar Slavković, Fadil Šarki, Igor Čoko, Marija Janković, Marko Đurica, Mitar Mitrović, Nemanja Pančić, Sanja Knežević, Saša Čolić, Željko Sinobad, Marko Rupena.

http://vizualizator.rs/en/visualizer-2020-3/