.tiff 2024

28.06.24 - 18.08.24

For the 12th edition of .tiff , FOMU presents a new selection of emerging Belgian artists. Discover their work in the .tiff magazine and pop-up exhibition at Zuiderpershuis. 

Selection .tiff 2024: Romain Cavallin, Elise Dervichian & Lina Wielant, Romane Iskaria, Ksenia Kuleshova, Catherine Lemblé, Nathan Mbouebe, Angyvir Padilla, Marcel Top, Marens van Leunen and Laure Winants.

Each year, FOMU supports 10 artists and photographers that have a Belgian connection. Offering fresh perspectives on the possibilities of photography, tiff showcases the diverse and dynamic landscape of Belgian photography.

The concept is flexible and responds to the needs of emerging artists. In addition to the magazine and group exhibition the artists are given several opportunities to present their work to an international professional audience.

FOMU invited three external jurors to help select the artists. This year’s jury consisted of Tom Callemin (artist and .tiff 2014 participant), Damarice Amao (curator, Centre Pompidou in Paris) and Pieter Vermeulen (art critic and curator).

The exhibition takes place at Zuiderpershuis , only a five-minute walk from FOMU. In the autumn of 2024 the exhibition will travel to the Flemish Arts Centre De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam.

.tiff magazine is for sale in the FOMU shop from 27 June 2024 (€7).

.tiff is part of FUTURES, a collaboration between FOMU and a growing group of European partners. FUTURES organises a range of events each year with a focus on young talent. You can find a complete calendar, including meet-ups and events in Zagreb, Arles and elsewhere, on their website.

We thank Walufin N.V. for its generous support.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Catherine Lemblé - Only Barely Still

In Only Barely Still Catherine Lemblé points her lens at the underexposed presence of women in the Northern polar region, with a focus on Spitsbergen (Norway). The Arctic was long typecast as a desolate, inhospitable landscape where only the toughest of men could survive. This is reflected in the literature and the tales of what happened there. During her numerous visits to Spitsbergen, Lemblé met women mechanics, expedition leaders, guides, artists, students, taxi drivers, and a priest…Away from the stereotypical image, Catherine presents a new visual narrative about the Northern polar region and our collective imagination. 

Ksenia Kuleshova - Ordinary people

Life for people from the LGBTQIA+ community in Russia, Armenia and Georgia is becoming increasingly difficult due to ever-tightening legislation. The laws act as a catalyst for intolerance towards people whose relationships and sexual orientation fall outside the traditional categories. Ksenia Kuleshova documents the daily life of diverse couples, concentrating on moments of joy and resilience. For over five years she has been building enduring relationships with her ‘heroes’, as she calls them. Her photographs and videos sketch a candid portrait of a community under enormous pressure. 

Romain Cavallin - Montbéliard

Montbeliard is a town in the east of France, close to the Swiss border. It is the place where Romain Cavallin grew up, but it is also the home of the car manufacturer Peugeot. Every time Romain visits his hometown, he is struck by the social transformation the town is undergoing. The Peugeot factory was established in 1912 and in its heyday in 1970 it employed over 40,000 workers. As a result of advancements in technology, today that number has dwindled to 9,000, with far-reaching repercussions: inhabitants and landscape are completely dominated by the changing industrial production methods. 

Marcel Top - Nemo Smith is Not a Politician

Nemo Smith is not a politician: he is the average of all British politicians. Marcel Top generated him by applying an algorithm to portraits and profiles of current members of parliament in the United Kingdom. The result is Nemo Smith: an ultrarealistic 3D model of the most generic politician imaginable. His campaign contains no constructive proposals but is the epitome of pure anti-politics. His campaign contains no constructive proposals but is the epitome of pure anti-politics, inspired by parties which overstate fear and polarisation to win votes. ​ 

Marens van Leunen - Helmersstraat

Marens van Leunen takes photographs in the apartment where she grew up and where her father still lives. For as long as she can remember, her father has bought and sold goods on the online platform Marktplaats.nl. Over the years, collections of similar kinds of objects have accumulated. Van Leunen transforms the mundane objects into absurd sculptures. Although her father is seldom in view, the still lifes create an intimate portrait of their relationship. 

Laure Winants - Time Capsule

During several oceanographic expeditions to the North, Winants collaborates with glaciologists and scientists from various backgrounds in a multidisciplinary approach. They examine the melting ice and the millions of years of secrets it reveals. Ice is also literally the optical perspective through which we see in Time Capsule. For instance, she uses drilled ice cores as light prisms, which create wondrous colours on analogue photographic paper. These images in turn serve as new research material for glaciologists. Time Capsule explores the evolution of time on a scale that humans can barely comprehend, melting cosmic time, climate change and human interference together. 

Nathan Mbouebe - For All The Good Things and Everything in Between

For All the Good Things and Everything in Between is a visual diary of Nathan Mbouebe’s human encounters, with family, friends or new acquaintances. The sense of wonder he experiences during these encounters is intensified in the darkroom as he develops and prints the images. His photographs explore everyday existence, showcasing both the intimate and the familiar in a new light. 

Angyvir Padilla - “Lo que no parece importante pero que siempre está ahí (...)”

For “Lo que no parece importante pero que siempre está ahí (…)”, Angyvir Padilla asked her mother to choose and photograph her favourite objects in their house in Caracas (Venezuela). Most of these turned out to be Angyvir’s childhood toys. The photographs form the basis for the small, 3D-printed sculptures. The transparency of the objects refers to the fleeting and dreamlike nature of memories. Through their collaboration Padilla, who lives in Belgium, finds a way to bridge the distance between mother and daughter. And by transforming photographs into tangible objects a piece of home finds its way back to her. 

Lina Wielant & Elise Dervichian - I’m her and sometimes she’s me 

Elise Dervichian’s & Lina Wielant’s appearances have been compared and commented upon throughout their friendship. This forms the starting point for their photographic practice: they experiment with the performative nature of identity and even transform themselves into each other, playfully dissecting the expectations and stereotypes projected onto them. In doing so, they reclaim their autonomy and celebrate their friendship. 

Romane Iskaria - Los Encantos

In Los Encantos, Romane Iskaria depicts the lives of the descendants of the Quilombos communities who reside in a sacred area called the Land of Jurema, in the northeast of Brazil. Quilombos are communities that were formed by enslaved Black people who fled to remote and unclaimed lands. Today they are still impacted by the enduring legacies of colonialism, and they fight for the preservation of their land and ancestral culture. The Land of Jurema is a place of spiritual importance where the veil between worlds is transparent. In Los Encantos, Romane also aims to create a visual translation of spiritual experiences, both individual and collective. 

PRESS IMAGES & INTERVIEWS

For a press visit, press images & interviews you can contact Isabelle Willems and Sarah Skoric.

.tiff magazine is for sale in the FOMU shop for € 7. Contact Isabelle or Sarah to request a press copy.

The exhibition .tiff 2024 - Emerging Belgian Photographers takes place at Zuiderpershuis, Waalsekaai 14, within walking distance of FOMU.