Dutch fashion photographer and artist Viviane Sassen's extensive body of work will be celebrated with her first large-scale retrospective exhibition in her hometown of Amsterdam at Foam Photography Museum.
Viviane Sassen: PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion will feature work from throughout Sessen's phenomenal 30-year career, and is comprised of over 200 works spanning photography, collage, painting, and video.
Viviane Sassen is an artist that I have followed for many years and is a recurring inspiration for my practice both for her photographs and for the way she chooses to express her art through various mediums, often resulting in stunning books and exhibitions – and this retrospective follows suit.
Starting her photography journey as a fashion photographer Sassen quickly shot to world acclaim for her striking images, visual style, and her choices in subject and approach. The exhibition will focus on two ever-present themes: "the incessant search for new photographic forms and the importance of intimacy in her work".
Viviane Sassen says, "It is a dream to present my retrospective in Amsterdam, my birthplace and hometown, especially at Foam where I had my very first museum exhibition in 2008".
The exhibition Sassen refers to was titled Flamboya and was her first museum showcase at Foam in 2008. It is one of many subsequent bodies of work that will be showcased in the retrospective, alongside renowned projects Umbra (2014) and Parasomnia (2011). Unseen archives, mixed-media works, paintings, collages, and videos will also be on display, and high-end fashion campaigns for brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior will be presented in a 'monumental installation'.
Also included are Sessen's early works and experimentations when trying new approaches or mediums, such as early self-portraits. It provides a peak behind the curtain into what could be considered an artist's sketchbook.
As with all of the best retrospective exhibitions, the show delves deeper than the images that hang on the wall, and into the the driving force behind their conception. At first glance, Sassen's work is technically masterful and her use of colors and tones has created a style that she has made her own. However, there is much more to her visual language than can be taken merely the first glance.
Foam states, "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 colors, 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."
Viviane Sassen: PHOSPHOR: Art & Fashion can be seen from September 21, 2024, to January 12, 2025, at Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam – for those not already in the city, this exhibition is reason enough for that long-awaited city break!
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