Join us in Paris on 9 November on the occassion of Paris Photo for a collaboration between Foam Magazine, Der Greif, Photoworks and The Photographers Gallery exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on photography and visual culture.

During this afternoon of thought-provoking discussions key topics include creative opportunities, authorship, bias, and the shift towards synthetic images. How do these changes reshape our view of photography, and what role does AI play as an agent or collaborator?

Paris

The Elephant in the Room: Provocations on Artificial Intelligence

Mario Klingemann, The Butcher’s Son, 2017, Giclee printon paper, 80x57cm

Helena Sarin, AI Candy Store, 2018, Fine art print on paper, 20x20cm

David Young, (b38, 4016,16) from Learning Nature series, 2018, Fine art print on paper, 30x30 cm

Harold Cohen, Arnolfini Series, 1983, Plotter drawing, 60x80cm

Obvious, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, 2018, Inkjet print on canvas, 70x70cm

Roope Rainisto, Emergent Culture from Excessize series, 2022

Spread from Morehshin Allahyari's portfolio in Foam Magazine #66

Foam
Magazine
#66 Missing 
Mirror


our annual print edition

From Innovation to Art: The History of AI Images

Open Garden Days 2025

On Thursday, 4 September, Foam presents the evening programme 

: AI in the Archive, in collaboration with 

This symposium explores the power, vulnerability, and future of the photographic archive—particularly online archives—through the lens of collections related to the Second World War and heritage institutions. Hosted by Ahmet Polat, guest speakers 

Re-Enactment

Foam

Archief foto's

Preservation is Power: AI in the Archive

How does a photograph shape our understanding of the past? 

 is a series of A.I.-generated images, combined with archival images, questioning the construction of memory and masculinity through our image culture. 

In an attempt to grasp the full story of his deceased grandfather and his Indonesian heritage, Sander Coers turned to the artificial intelligence programme 

Feeding archival family photos into its system, he asked the programme to describe them, specifically listing their technical details such as dominant colour tones and type of camera, film and lens. Altering these descriptions allowed Sander to prompt the programme to create new images, yet maintain the exact visual look and feel of the family snapshots. Finally, by blending multiple A.I.-generated images together with the originals, he created a surprisingly intimate, genuine, yet completely fictional family album. 

The way the photos are cropped stands out. Coers used an element of collaging when assembling the final images, in order to emphasise the constructed nature of the photographs, and ultimately, the constructed nature of one’s memory, too. 

 alludes to the ‘afterlife’ of his grandfather, through the photo albums he left behind, as well as to the realm of post-photography: a space where images can be generated without the use of a camera.  

Adobe Stock image

From the series POST, 2023

Image from the series POST, 2023

From the series POST

Sander Coers

selected artists

Welcome to Talent 2024-2025 – the digital exhibition.

Here, Foam proudly presents 20 selected Talents in their very own online universe. Out of a dazzling 2,480 submissions, this final curation of exceptional work defines the new horizons of the medium of photography, thematically and technically. Highlighting the connections, this interactive network brings all Talents together and maps out their distinct artistic viewpoints.

Spanning across the globe, the stories told by these artists reflect a universal yearning for belonging—a profound desire to anchor, to establish a connection with the past and carve out a sense of place. A driving force underpinning their work is the quest to trace heritage, untangle family lines, and explore personal identity.

Acknowledging the constructed nature of history, memory, or even their own thoughts, these artists boldly confront existing narratives. They embark on a journey of unlearning, challenging established stories, and turn to the expansive nature of photography to build new understandings and narratives, resonating more authentically with their lived experiences.

Noteworthy in their approach is the harmonious balance between tradition and innovation. The artists seamlessly blend traditional photographic techniques with cutting-edge developments, including the much-discussed realm of artificial intelligence, and other mediums such as moving image, embroidery and music. 

Select one of the filters to zoom in on these different techniques and mediums.

This digital exhibition presents the work in a truly multi-medial way, inviting you to 

about Foam Talent Digital

artists shaping the future of photography

Foam is supported by the VriendenLoterij, Foam Members, the VandenEnde Foundation and the City of Amsterdam.

The Foam Talent programme and the annual Talent Issue of Foam Magazine are supported by:

Overview

Get Surreal voortgezet onderwijs, 2024

Over de workshop

Learning goals

Themes

Questions or special requests?

More for secondary education

Voortgezet Onderwijs - Workshop - GET (SUR)REAL!

For more information and visual material, login to access the press kit of this exhibition.




Note to editors

more at Foam

Foam Talent 2024

Foam Talent 2024-2025

Educatieprogramma's primair onderwijs, 2024

More for primary education

Primair Onderwijs - Workshop - Kiekie Kids Nieuws

A self-portrait of an algorithm no.89, 2023

Vistas #22, 2020

Untitled, from the series In Their Own Image of God, They Created Them

Variations of an Erosion op. 1, 2023

The ability for machines to 'see' and 'create' has improved tremendously over the past decades, meaning that computers have been trained, by humans, to recognise and generate images that come shockingly close to a photorealistic image.

From Innovation to Art: The History of AI Images in Foam Magazine #66: Missing Mirror

Ctrl.Alt.Img

It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between a human-made photograph and an image created with AI, which threatens to shatter the foundation of photography: its claim to truth.

The Zizi Project (2019 – ongoing)

The Zizi Show (202)

The Zizi Show (2020)

The Zizi Project (2019 – ongoing) — Jake Elwes

Moon-faced ماه طلعت, Video (color, sound) 2048 × 3712 pixels 2 minutes 5 seconds

Moon-faced ماه طلعت,

ماه طلعت Moon-faced — Morehshin Allahyari

Behind the Scenes: Resurrect by Paolo Cirio

Mugshots.com, N2, from the series Obscurity, 2016

Visit the museum

Photography Through the Lens of AI

Text-to-image generators have gained tremendous popularity over the past years. This specific application of artificial intelligence allows users to create digital images based on textual input. It seems that any desired image is just a few clicks away, with little to no technological knowledge about the inner workings needed.  

But what happens underneath the hood? How does a text-to-image AI exactly work? This step-by-step explainer will lift (some) of the curtains of image generation and shed light inside the black box of AI. 

Disclaimer: this is a simplified explanation of text-to-image generation. In reality, there are many different types of generation models, approaches and techniques. To learn more about this complex technology, we recommend reading 

Inside the Black Box


Results

Text to Image explained

ROC: Educatieprogramma's voortgezet onderwijs, 2024

Hoe en waarom toon je jezelf online? In deze workshop ga je hiermee experimenteren en kijken we samen naar toonaangevende portretfotografen.

Be Yourselfie

Duik met deze workshop in de wereld van verhalen achter bijzondere beelden.

Stories Untold, Images Unfold

Wanneer zijn fotografische beelden echt en wanneer zijn ze nep? In deze workshop experimenteren we met het maken van surrealistische fotocollages en genereer je met Artificial Intelligence nieuwe fotografische beelden.

GET (SUR)REAL!

Photography is everywhere. But what makes a photograph special? Get to know all kinds of aspects of photography during an active tour in Foam.

Guided tour

New workshops

all education programmes

school programmes

learn online

Also in education

Secondary Education

Support Foam and get unlimited visits to the museum with a plus one. Foam Friend members also get access to exclusive member activities and receive discounts for programming, the magazine and in the Foam Bookshop.

The red bags are used for the seeds, 2021

New Western Views

Nike See, Nike Do, 2019

Opening Liz Johnson Artur & Foam 3H 

This membership gets you:

Past member events

You can also gift this membership to the photography lovers in your life – they’ll enjoy exclusive benefits in the museum and the shop. Click to buy.

If you want more, try

donate

support a specific project

leave a legacy

back to support

Other ways to support Foam

Become a Foam Friend

Foam Friend

Club Foam is a dynamic group of young professionals who are photography and art enthusiasts. They are actively involved with Foam. 

Why Club Foam?

Tax benefits

Gift this membership 🎁

back to Support

other ways to support Foam

Become a Club Foam member

Club Foam

v(s)o - Be Yourselfie

Wie ben je in de digitale wereld? Wie wil je zijn op social media platforms [...]

p(s)o - A.I.dentity

v(s)o - GET (SUR)REAL!

New workshops for 2025

Current & upcoming exhibitions

Video lessons

DIY with Foam: inspired by Mark Dorf

DIY with Foam

Klokhuis Masterclass

Flowers for donald #20 (channel surfing [with a flock of birds and some good dogs]), 2017 from the series Flowers for donald

Untitled, 2012. London, UK from the series Personal Work, 2006-2016

Take Off

for visitors

School Programmes

Foam Magazine #67 The Test of Time

For more information and visual material please contact the Press Office of Foam via pressoffice@foam.org.

see more

The Supremes, 1965

A mother waits to hold her murdered son one last time before he departs to eternity Qabatiya Jenin 2023

Ulay, Amsterdam 2018

Film still, 2024

Videos

Still from Photography is... Hoarding

Photography is... Hoarding: Navigating the endless flood of digital images

Articles

Still from the video Foam 3h: Ece Gökalp - After Anahit, 2023

Foam 3h: Giath Taha Becoming a Ghost

Still from Foam 3h: Sem Langendijk - Haven, 2023

Foam 3h

Still from the video Foam 3h Steffi Reimers - Guilty Grounds

Foam 3H: Steffi Reimers Guilty Grounds

Explore

Educatieprogramma's mbo, 2020

In this workshop, students explore how artists own a visual language, how they display their “feed” in an exhibition and what their societal statement is.

Frame your Feed

Educatieprogramma's mbo, 2019

A career starts with a good representation of yourself. In this workshop, students learn to describe their characteristics and explore how to “capture” this in a portrait.

LinkedIn & Professional Branding

Workshop mbo 2019

Discover how AI is used for photography. How do artists deal with artificial intelligence, what are the pros and cons and how do we make sure it is an extension of us and not the other way around?

AI: Artificial Identity

Actieve rondleiding

Form your own opinion about photography and discover everything about the photographer, the subject, and the context of the exhibitions in Foam during an interactive tour.

Active guided tour

Workshops & tours

MBO Programmes

About the workshop

More for MBO education

MBO - Workshop - AI: Artificial Identity

For information and visual material please check www.foam.org/press or contact the Press Office of Foam on +31 (0)20 5516500 / pressoffice@foam.org

Carlijn Jacobs - Sleeping Beauty

Together, Foam and Paris Photo present a brand-new season of the podcast series Foam Talks: Talent Edition. This series presents eight talented image-makers from both the fair's Curiosa Sector and Foam Talent 2021. Each of the episodes welcomes two photographers, one of each organisations' talent programme. Brought together by a common theme and approach, the photographers speak about their projects and motivations, as well as the challenges they encounter.

from the series Rasmi

Foam Talks x Paris Photo - Sarker Protick & AnaMary Bilbao

Podcast

Sunny Day Flooding, Hollywood, Florida, 2019

Foam Talks x Paris Photo - Igor Tereshkov & Anastasia Samoylova

Smoke Me, 2019

From the series The Mind is a Voice, the Voice is Blind

Paris Photo x Foam Talks: Talent Edition

Foam Magazine #64: EXTREMES

On 5 September, we will host a fun pub quiz full of facts about AI. During the 

, Roos Groothuizen and Nastia Cistakova will ask accessible questions about AI, privacy, fake news and online ethics, to playfully explore the world of AI. 

, this pub quiz will test your knowledge about Artificial Intelligence in art. Come grab a drink with your friends and compete for the grand prize.

AI AI AI Pubquiz

Eye 4 - Detect, perceive, explore, 2023

The Flicker Phase, 1950

AI Pub Quiz

Viviane Sassen Walk-in Workshop

Every Sunday afternoon, Foam offers free walk-in workshops inspired by the work of 

. During the workshop, we will experiment with the AI tool DALL·E. These workshops are suitable for all ages.

AI Walk-in Workshop Carlijn Jacobs

Join us for the opening of the group exhibition 

artificial intelligence

The Elephant in the Room:
Provocations on Artificial Intelligence

From Innovation to Art:
The History of AI images

Preservation is Power: AI in the Archive

Sander Coers

Overview

GET (SUR)REAL!

Foam Talent 2024

Foam Talent 2024-2025

Kiekie Kids Nieuws

Photography Through the Lens of AI

Text to Image explained

Secondary Education

Foam Friend

Club Foam

School Programmes

Photography Through the Lens of AI

Explore

MBO Programmes

AI: Artificial Identity

Carlijn Jacobs - Sleeping Beauty

Paris Photo x Foam Talks: Talent Edition

Foam Magazine #64: EXTREMES

AI Pub Quiz

ArtificiaI Intelligence
Walk-in Workshop

Opening Photography Through the Lens of AI

artificial intelligence

The Elephant in the Room:Provocations on Artificial Intelligence

From Innovation to Art: The History of AI images

Preservation is Power: AI in the Archive

Sander Coers

Overview

GET (SUR)REAL!

Foam Talent 2024

Foam Talent 2024-2025

Kiekie Kids Nieuws

Photography Through the Lens of AI

Text to Image explained

Secondary Education

Foam Friend

Club Foam

School Programmes

Photography Through the Lens of AI

Explore

MBO Programmes

AI: Artificial Identity

Carlijn Jacobs - Sleeping Beauty

Paris Photo x Foam Talks: Talent Edition

Foam Magazine #64: EXTREMES

AI Pub Quiz

ArtificiaI IntelligenceWalk-in Workshop

Opening Photography Through the Lens of AI

The Elephant in the Room:
Provocations on Artificial Intelligence

From Innovation to Art:
The History of AI images

ArtificiaI Intelligence
Walk-in Workshop