Unseen Photo Fair: a ‘round table’ for contemporary photography in Amsterdam

The Gashouder, where the event takes place, was originally designed as a storage tank: Unseen uses the circular shape of the space to avoid distinctions between exhibitors

Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam: the 2023 edition

Unseen is an international fair dedicated to contemporary photography taking place every year in Amsterdam. The upcoming edition is scheduled for 22 to 24 September and will feature seventy-eight exhibitors, sixty-five publishers and nine special projects. The fair is held in Westergas, an art and culture village located in the Westerpark, a public urban park in Amsterdam.

This year the focus will be on environment, with interpretations spanning from nature to sustainability. «Unseen will show the latest in the spectrum of photography: conceptual, documentary, fashion, and art photography. As the world grapples with environmental issues, it’s inspiring to see that so many artists have chosen to reflect on nature. Visitors will embark on a visual journey through landscapes, still lives, conservation efforts, climate change, and the intersection of humanity and nature, provoking contemplation and sparking dialogue», declares Unseen’s Founding Director Roderick van der Lee.

Unseen: a testing ground for emerging photographers

Unseen was first founded in 2008, when the economic crisis began. «Despite the recession, there were a lot of young photographers developing experimental projects, but it was hard for them to find a place in the market with the already established names». The fair was born as an international platform for the emerging talents.

In the following years, photography was accepted as a branch of contemporary art and the fair became a testing ground for international galleries when it comes to present new artists for the first time. «This works in Amsterdam because here the general public is very well informed about photography, as there are several dedicated museums, such as Foam and Huis Marseille». Foam was also one of the subjects involved in the creation of the fair, wishing to support new talents by helping them making a living out of their art.

Unseen Art Fair, a carousel of exhibitors with no hierarchy

The fair’s main sector, where exhibitors display their work, is hosted in the Gashouder. This is a circular event venue built in an industrial site since it was originally designed as a storage tank. Unseen uses the circular shape of the space to avoid distinctions between the exhibitors. Established names in the photography industry, contemporary art galleries, or young initiatives, they come all together under the same roof with no hierarchy.

«Usually, within fairs, the established names get the best places, but our space is pretty much like a round table, so we decided to use it to promote a dialogue between exhibitors. We mix them together. In Unseen there is room for surprise. When you go into a fair already knowing that the big galleries are in one place and the young artists in another, this puts you in a mindset. On the contrary, when everything is mixed, you look at things with a more open view. This way, you are more focused on the work and less on the booth’s size or the gallery’s name. It is more about the work than the name behind it».

The upcoming edition will see an increased number of internationally established artists. GRIMM Gallery will bring a solo presentation by Dirk Braeckman, the Belgian artist representing Belgium at the Venice Biennial in 2017. Ron Mandos will showcase Julian Rosefeldt, whose work is part of the MoMA collection. First time exhibitor Persiehl & Heine Galerie für Fotografie from Hamburg will present new work by female fashion photographer Sarah Moon.

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Nature-themed photography meets new technologies and NFTS

Nature will be a red thread throughout the whole 2023 edition: «We never choose a predominant theme ahead of the event, but some years there is a particular subject matter that you see coming back a lot. In 2023 it is nature. It is positive to see that there is such a urgent subject that has occupied the global range of artists present at Unseen. A perspective on nature is given in a wealth of subjects and forms, which once again shows the versatility of the photographic medium, from cyanotypes to images generated by Artificial Intelligence as the basis of the artists brainwaves».

Nature will be showcased at Unseen 2023, ranging from experimental reinterpretation of classics such as still life to documentary work on the consequences of climate change. It will also be combined with new technologies. Indeed, this year’s edition will feature the presence of photography related NFTs, with a presentation by Unveil, Unseen’s NFT partner. Veteran artists of the fair, such as Awoiska van der Molen, Kim Boske, Thomas Albdorf and Dafna Talmor, will debut NFT work, pushing their artistic practice into new dynamic and digital realms.

Unseen’s Unbound – ten photography projects dealing with landscape

Nature will be a focus of Unbound, the fair’s section dedicated to exploring what photography is. This project was first designed three years ago, when the organizers noticed that several photographers were questioning their art. «They were looking not just at the content, but also at the form, experimenting, for instance, with different ways of printing photographs».

Unbound includes projects on a large scale, where photography either crosses with sculpture, installations, or video. The 2023 edition will feature ten projects all dealing with landscape, from physical burnt earth in Morvarid K’s installation, presented by French gallery Bigainon, to a high-tech representation of landscape by Philipp Groubnov, presented by Josilda da Conceição Gallery. In Unbound landscape does not only relate to nature, but also to cityscape: «How men feel about the cityscape they created around them, or about their national surroundings, their home soil».

Perspectives on environment at the Meijburg Lounge at Unseen 2023

In the Westerliefde is the Meijburg Lounge, a space hosted by Unseen’s partner KPMG Meijburg & Co. Here every year the Meijburg Art Commission exhibits the work of five artists, shortlisted for offering a specific perspective on a chosen theme.

For this year’s edition the theme is, once again, environment. «What we try to do with Meijburg is identify the most urgent themes in society. Last year we chose connection, and it was all about the world opening up again after the lockdowns and the pandemic, what people had missed about the human connection. Now climate change has gained relevance. Each of the artists we selected look at this topic in different ways. For example, how men relate to nature though what they produce, such as waste. But also, the contemplation of the beauty of nature».

The Book Market: supporting independent photography editorials at Unseen

In an outside pavilion, next to the Unseen Photo Fair and the Transformatorhuis, the Book Market takes place. Here, independent publishers of art and photography will offer a range of photo book publications and talks. This section of the fair was born, once again, to support emerging initiatives: «We started organizing the Book Market because we know that it is difficult for publishers to make a proper living. This the reason why we try to give space to starting initiatives, besides established photography books publishers».

According to Unseen books play a key role in the photography world. «I think photography books are a central part of what photography is. They enable photographers to go wide and deep into a subject matter, since they can show a series of pictures around the same subject. Moreover, they can help growing a new generation of photography enthusiasts».

This year the Book Market will see the launch of new publications of photographers such as Ryan McGinley, Roger Ballen and Anton Corbijn.

A publishing award for aspiring photography books authors

The Book Market will also feature the second edition of the Unseen – GOST Publishing Award, organized in cooperation with GOST Books, an independent visual arts and photography publisher based in London. People can send their book proposals and they will be evaluated by a jury composed of editors, curators, and Roderick van der Lee himself. The winner will have the book completely designed and published by Stuart Smith, director of GOST: «It is our way to offer a chance to someone who may not have the right connections to publish a book».

This year there will be the launch of the previous edition’s winner – High Visibility (Blaze Orange) by Jaclyn Wright.

The City Programme: photography invades Amsterdam

During the period of the fair Amsterdam gets filled with initiatives related to photography, with a series of exhibitions scattered around the city’s galleries and venues. Unseen is not directly involved in the organization of these events but appreciates this city-wide photographic dialogue.

This 2023 City Programme will feature: Sara Cwynar – S/S ’23 and Ara Güler – A Play of Light and Shadow at Foam; Widline Cadet – Take This with You / Pran sa avèk ou and Variétés. Photography and the Avant-Garde at

Huis Marseille; Enveloped In You at Brakke Grond; Het Meterhuisje at Depth of Field; the Dialogue Vintage Photo Fair; Arty Party at Melkweg Expo.