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A group of Ajax football players wearing red t-shirts in a studio
Ajax, 1967
© Paul Huf / MAI.

Paul Huf » Golden Years

4 October 2024 – 2 February 2025

Opening: Thursday 3 October 18:30

Viviane Sassen » Phosphor: Art & Photography

... until 12 January 2025

Benjamin Li » In Search of Perfect Orange

... until 1 December 2024

Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam

Keizersgracht 609 . 1017 DS Amsterdam
T +31 (0)20-5516500
pressoffice@foam.org
www.foam.org
Mon-Wed 10am-6pm; Thu-Fri 10am-9pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm

Closeup of a woman in black and white, wearing a headpiece that covers her hair.
Mode voor Avenue, 1966
© Paul Huf / MAI.

Paul Huf »

Golden Years

4 October 2024 – 2 February 2025

Opening: Thursday 3 October 18:30

Foam celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of renowned Dutch photographer Paul Huf with a retrospective, Golden Years. Huf emerged as a leading figure in the fields of advertising, fashion, and portrait photography during the 1950s, and was innovative with his use of colour. Notably, Paul Huf played a crucial role in the establishment of Foam Photography Museum Amsterdam, co-founding the institution in 2001.

This exhibition showcases over 100 works that provide deep insights into Huf's diverse oeuvre. Known for his theatrical and colourful aesthetics, as well as his ability to create unique compositions, Huf became one of the most prominent photographers of his time. He played a crucial role in professionalising commissioned photography in the Netherlands and is celebrated as a pioneer who elevated Dutch (advertising) photography as an art form.

Ramses Shaffy poses in front of a truck
Bontmode voor Avenue, 1969
© Paul Huf / MAI.

Golden Years features iconic campaigns such as ‘Vakmanschap is Meesterschap’ (‘Craftsmanship is Mastery’) for Grolsch Brewery, fashion shoots for magazines such as Margriet and Avenue, and the famous portrait of Ajax legends Klaas Nuninga, Sjaak Swart, Piet Keizer, and Johan Cruijff. A personal highlight of his career was photographing the Dutch Royal Family in 1952, an honour that led to numerous subsequent commissions from the Royal House. Huf was the first official court photographer, paving the way for renowned successors such as Koos Breukel, Anton Corbijn, and Rineke Dijkstra.

Huf's impact on commissioned photography is further demonstrated by the album covers he designed in 1954 for Philips' classical music collection, a bold departure from the plain brown sleeves that were typically used for records at the time. British model Ann Pickford appeared on all covers, as there were few professional models in the Netherlands during that period. These covers even went on to inspire the song ‘Hoezepoes’ (‘Covergirl’) by famed Dutch writer Annie M.G. Schmidt.

Huf's artistic versatility extended beyond photography, as shown through his work as a filmmaker. His documentary on painter Carel Willink from 1975 was awarded with several prizes and will be screened in the exhibition at Foam for the first time.

Fashion show on the bike, Queenies on their feet, The Netherlands in the 60s
© Paul Huf / MAI.

Paul Huf (1924-2002, Amsterdam) was a self-taught artist who began photographing during his teenage years, inspired by his father's hobby. By experimenting in a self-made darkroom, he mastered the techniques of developing and printing photos. Throughout his career, Huf garnered numerous awards and exhibited his work internationally. He had a special connection with Foam, having played a role in the museum’s establishment. In recognition of his contributions, the Foam Paul Huf Award has been presented annually since 2007, supporting and promoting emerging photographers on a global scale.

Ka’amed and Monykuoch for Botter, 2022
© Viviane Sassen and Stevenson (Johannesburg / Cape Town / Amsterdam).

Viviane Sassen »

Phosphor: Art & Photography

... until 12 January 2025

Foam is thrilled to present the first large-scale retrospective of the Dutch fashion photographer and artist Viviane Sassen in the Netherlands. The exhibition PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion, which comprises more than 200 works, reveals over thirty years of her multifaceted career bringing together photography, collage, painting and video. The exhibition serves a significant homecoming for Sassen, following her first museum showcase at Foam in 2008 titled Flamboya.

DNA, from the series "Lexicon", 2007
© Viviane Sassen and Stevenson (Johannesburg / Cape Town / Amsterdam).

The Dutch contemporary artist Viviane Sassen rapidly gained worldwide recognition, both in the fashion industry and in the photography world. Her distinctive and eclectic visual oeuvre will fill almost the entire building of Foam. This exhibition will shed light on Sassen’s creative process by focusing on two main themes: the incessant search for new photographic forms and the importance of intimacy in her work.

The exhibition features iconic series, including Flamboya (2008), Umbra (2014) and Parasomnia (2011), along with unseen archives, mixed-media works that blend photography, painting, collage and video.

Self Portrait, 1990
© Viviane Sassen and Stevenson (Johannesburg / Cape Town / Amsterdam).

Sassen's fashion photography for brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior will be presented in a monumental installation. Early experiments with objects from her personal archives, her initial self-portraits, and her final photo project from her studies illustrate the beginnings of Sassen's visual language. These images are being showcased for the first time in the exhibition PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion.

Sassen's oeuvre explores both the depths of human emotion and the boundaries of artistic expression. Death, sexuality, desire and connection with others are all motifs that structure her work. Renowned for her adept use of saturated colours, mastery of light and shadow, and distinctive depictions of the human body, Sassen's work is a testament to her artistic language. For Sassen, photography is a magical medium. For her, photography is like a mirror that reflects what is already inside us, and likewise a portal to another universe with infinite possibilities. She sees endless worlds to discover.

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with The MEP in Paris and their curator Clothilde Morette and was shown during Kyotographie in Japan and at Fotografiska in Shanghai. Now the exhibition is coming to Sassen's hometown.

Viviane Sassen (1972, Amsterdam) is a mixed-media artist. She studied fashion design, followed by photography at the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU). Sassen spent her childhood in Kenia, where her experiences served as the initial inspiration for her images. She later returned to Africa, creating the series Flamboya (2008), Parasomnia (2011), and Lexicon (2014), through which she gained recognition with a broader audience. Sassen is acclaimed for both her visual art and innovative fashion photography, with numerous publications in her name, including in New York Times Magazine, i-D, Numéro, POP, AnOther, and Dazed. Additionally, she has collaborated with renowned fashion brands such as Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Cartier, Armani, and Hermès. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, and in 2007 she was awarded the Dutch art prize Prix de Rome.

Benjamin Li » In Search of Perfect Orange

... until 1 December 2024

Foam 3h presents In Search of Perfect Orange, a playful exhibition by Rotterdam-based conceptual artist Benjamin Li. Through his work, Li explores themes like identity, belonging, labour and cultural heritage, using food as a lens through which to delve into these complex subjects. The exhibition setup takes inspiration from the 'Chinese-Indisch' restaurant, a culinary genre partially shaped by the colonial history of the Netherlands.

Since 2014, Li has visited over 1,000 'Chinese-Indisch' restaurants across the Netherlands, creating an archive of menus, tableware, and personal stories. Through photography, video, sculptures, and puzzles featuring images of 'Chinese-Indisch' dishes, he explores the richness, variety and charm of these restaurants. However, for Li the restaurants represent more than just culinary enjoyment; they symbolize his family's resilience and a broader journey towards integration for the Asian diaspora within Dutch society. Many of his relatives, including his parents, have worked in restaurants to build a life in their new homeland. Through his art, Li honors these establishments, though often misunderstood, highlighting their cultural and historical significance. In doing so, his work challenges stereotypes and prejudices faced by Asians in the Netherlands, focusing on identity, representation, displacement, foodways and a sense of home.

His recent publication, the Chinese-Indisch Restaurant Stickeralbum which will be part of the exhibition, invites the public to engage with this heritage in an interactive way, encouraging the collection and exchange of stickers that celebrate it. The exhibition centers a large round table featuring a rotating art piece inspired by halma, which is commonly known best as Chinese checkers. The pawns of the game resemble roses carved from carrots, paying tribute to a practice by Li’s father. Through this immersive setup, Li's work navigates the delicate balance between exposing the absurdity of certain stereotypes and fostering a reappraisal for the beauty and heritage of the 'Chinese-Indisch' restaurant.

Spread from Chinees-Indisch Restaurant Stickeralbum by Benjamin Li
with untitled work from family archive © photographer unknown / courtesy of the artist.

Benjamin Li (1985) is a conceptual artist based in Rotterdam. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Photography and a master’s degree in Media Design and Communication and completed a two-year residency at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. His work has been exhibited in LAM Museum, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Noordbrabants Museum, among others, and is included in various museum and corporate collections such as SPACES Art Collection and AkzoNobel Art Foundation. In 2018 he was nominated for the Volkskrant Visual Arts Prize and received a grant from the Mondriaan Fund.

Foam 3h is a project space in the museum where recently graduated artists and photographers are invited to present their first solo museum exhibition. For this space, Foam selects national and international artists who are challenged to experiment, surprise and push the limits of photography.

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