Earthlings
Various Artists
FOTODOK
French
Curated by Jenny Smets.
Softcover
21 pages
148 x 210 mm
2021
ISBN Not Applicable
Earthlings is a catalogue from the exhibition of the same name which took place at Atelier Néerlandais, Paris, curated by Jenny Smets. The show presents a selection of works from artists who recently graduated from the photography departments of Dutch art academies.
The emerging artists of the Earthlings seem to be visionaries. Although they chose their themes prior to the corona outbreak, their work reflects on the societal issues that came into starker contrast during the pandemic. It is now more evident than ever: how we have chosen to live together within the limited space of this planet has resulted in a precarious balancing act. We share the Earth with one another, with animals, and the nature that surrounds us. The sun, the mountains, plants, trees, and rocks may all combine as an idea of “nature” to some people, but for others their meanings differ greatly. The places we were born help shape our identity; a home for one is an unfamiliar place for another. How do we share our, sometimes painful, history on Earth with each other? What is the impact of our limitless consumption on the climate? And how malleable are our lives?
These are some of the existential questions raised by the young artists in this exhibition. The works in Earthlings are concerned with our planet, are asking questions about our place in the ecosystem, and searching for solutions. They confront us with the urgencies of our world, and employ many forms of imagination and thinking to reflect on our current times. They offer hope and propose alternatives for the future.
Works include:
Eline Benjaminsen, Footprints in the Valley (2020 ongoing)
Marina Caneve, Are They Rocks or Clouds? (2019)
Frijke Coumans, Gardeners of Desire (2018)
Fleur Jakobs, Stripped of the Earth (2018/2019)
Viktor Naumovski, Standing in the Sun (2019)
Michelle Piergoelam, The Untangled Tales (2019)
Zoë Sluijs, What Happened when I Stopped Pretending to Know (2020)
Gilleam Trapenberg, Unbé t’aweró (2021)
(source: https://www.fotodok.org/en/fotodok-in-paris-earthlings/)
About the Curator
Jenny Smets is an independent curator of photography exhibitions, photo editor and consultant on photography based in the Netherlands. She hosts workshops and masterclasses, edits photography books and writes on photography. Organisations she works for are amongst others World Press Photo, co-organising he Joop Swart masterclass , and KABK art Academy in The Hague. She studied history of modern and contemporary art at UVA University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and specialised during her studies in the history of photography. Jenny’s company is named Docs+Tales.
(source: https://www.eyesinprogress.com/en/mentor/jenny-smets)
About the Publisher
FOTODOK was founded in 2008 by Femke Lutgerink and Rob Hornstra. It began as a nomadic organisation, initiating events and exhibitions in collaboration with various partners such as: The Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Utrecht; Het Utrechts Archief; and at various other public locations. In 2014, FOTODOK settled its office and exhibition space at Lange Nieuwstraat 7, opening for six months a year.
fotodok.org
(source: https://www.fotodok.org/en/about-fotodok/)
