exhibition

Getekend door het leven

Getekend door het leven is a project by Levvel, an initiative that offers specialist youth care to children, young people and families. The art project motivates youngsters to express their thoughts and feelings artistically. Participants in this project have different backgrounds and receive different forms of help.

Foam believes it is important to give everyone a chance to become acquainted with the beauty and richness of photography. We believe photography has the power to connect and stimulate dialogue. After all, photographic image goes hand in hand with image formation and the development of opinions and points of view.

Gekozen litteken, 2022. © Silyn.
Womb, 2022. © Hala.
Kolibrie, 2022. © Enita.

About the exhibition

Every tattoo has a story. In this exhibition, we look at the lives of young people in youth care through word and image. They share painful memories, precious moments and signs of hope and expectation with the outside world. Some live with their parents and receive counselling at home or at one of Levvel's locations. Others live in foster families, family homes or (temporarily) in a group.

After an online introduction with the instructors, the participants came together during the workshops in Foam. The youngsters followed a poetry/spoken word workshop by Reinier van der Veer (alias: Dichtwater) to get the story behind their tattoos on paper. Afterwards, they were given a tour of the museum, led by Saroja de Robles, education and public coordinator at Foam. While viewing the artworks, they were given short active assignments, which broadened their knowledge of photography and allowed them to think about how they envisioned a photo of their own tattoos. The last part of the day consisted of a photography workshop. After a technical explanation of the camera and lighting, they started working in duos to photograph their tattoos. The results can be seen in this exhibition at Foam.

Suzanne, 2022. © Robin.

Watch the video about the project

getekend door het leven video stil
3:13

© Beeldregistratie: LineUpMedia, De Jeugd van Nu.

The work produced was created by: Enita, Fleur, Hala, Kelsey, Robin, Silyn, Valesca and Yin.

Getekend door het Leven is a collaboration between Levvel, Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam and Stichting De Jeugd Van Nu. This project was made possible by the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts) and the Municipality of Amsterdam.

Foam is supported by de VriendenLoterij, Foam Members, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, the VandenEnde Foundation and the City of Amsterdam.


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Getekend door het leven