How can documentary photography help create awareness or help us understand certain environments, communities, cultures or even the medium itself?

We take a look at projects by three artists that explore how photography can create artistic portrayels of social societies. Myriam Boulos (LB), a 2022 Foam Talent, shows a series of portraits of friends and strangers that have been affected by the blast and economy in Beirut. Rahim Fortune (US) uses documentary photography to ask fundamental questions about American identity. Lastly, Bieke Depoorter (BE) 

explores the complexities of the photographic enterprise, grappling with the relationship between photographer and subject.

The three artists are featured in the online talk 

Navigating the media industry - Photographer's Perspective

. For many photographers today, working on commissions and assignments within the media industry helps to build and contribute to a sustainable career. How can an artist navigate the territory between their own practice and the media industry at large?

From the series Tell The Trees To Smile

Myriam
Boulos

Tell the Trees to Smile

about

Rahim
Fortune

Brothers after wake from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

Father from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

City Finance from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

First Holidays from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

Kerosine lamp from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

ICSTSYC from the series I can’t stand to see you cry

Bieke
Depoorter

Agata, Paris, France, November 2, 2017

Agata, Germaine, Neuilly-Plaissance, France, September 4, 2018

Agata, Paris, France, November 12, 2017

Agata, Beirut, Lebanon, August 3, 2018

Bieke & Agata, Lebanon, August, 2018

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Moscow, 2016

Archive of Public Protests

Urmia salt lake, Iran

On Social Documentary Photography

&ldquo;There is no distance between me and what I photograph.&rdquo; - Nan Goldin

Each month Rialto presents Cracking the Frame, a programme&nbsp;featuring an international selection of critically acclaimed arts documentaries and artists&rsquo; films.&nbsp;Cracking the Frame focuses on the creative intersection between art and film through thought-provoking cinematic portraits of the life and work of established contemporary artists, photographers, filmmakers and global thinkers. This edition's film, Nan Goldin - I Remember Your Face, is introduced by Foam curator Mirjam Kooiman.
Wednesday 20 January 2016, Rialto Amsterdam, 19:30 hrs. NAN GOLDIN &ndash; I REMEMBER YOUR FACE Sabine Lidl&nbsp; Germany | 2013 | 61 min&nbsp; In English and German with English subs Dutch premiere
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pOVWTQnk_do" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
ABOUT&nbsp;THE DOCUMENTARY German director Sabine Lidl composes an intimate portrait of the New York charismatic photographer as she accompanies the artist on a nostalgic journey from Paris to Turin, Vienna and Berlin, where Nan Goldin lived for three years in the 90s and where she re-encounters some of her dearest friends and ex-lovers. As ruthlessly candid as the snapshots that have come to define Goldin as one of the most celebrated and controversial photographers of her generation, Lidl's deeply personal film intertwines slideshows of Goldin's photographs with intimate moments where the artist talks openly about her personal life, work, inspiration and obsessions.
ABOUT NAN GOLDIN In 1985 her ground-breaking series The Ballad of Sexual Dependency portrayed her extended family of artists, drug addicts and drag queens friends as they partied, got high, fought and had sex and, according to the New York Times, "forged a genre, with photography as influential as any in the last 20 years". Now in her sixties Goldin continues to amaze and shock with her transgressive slideshow presentations, exhibitions and books, still true to her motto that &ldquo;my photos originate from relations, not from observations.&rdquo;

<div class="sidebar__content">Première info 
Wednesday 20 January 2016 19.30 hrs. Rialto cinema, Amsterdam
&nbsp;
In English and German with English subtitles
&nbsp;
PRICE &euro;10, regular rate &euro;8,50, reduced rate</div>

Nan Goldin documentary première

Still from Northern Winds with Jonathas de Andrade - Ammodo Docs

With my art projects, I approach people that historically experience oppression in many different ways. But still, their culture, their tradition, their way of keeping knowledge alive: they represent resistance in many ways.,

Still from the documentary Northern Winds with Jonathas de Andrade

Northern Winds: Artist Jonathas de Andrade’ Fascination with Jangadeiros | Ammodo Docs

watch the documentary

see more

Northern Winds: Jonathas de Andrade’ Fascination with Jangadeiros

Aby Fulani

"Every age has its great loss – for modernism, it was the coherence of the self; for postmodernism, the stability of master narratives – and now, in the 21st century, there is an increasing pressure on the notion of a shared reality."

Mugshots.com, N8, from the series Obscurity, 2016

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

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

”There is a new way of understanding our times.. a new wave of realism, a new wave of artists who are engaged in political issues. “Evidential Realism” is the realism of today… “

Liz Johnson Artur - of life of love of sex of movement of hope, 2021

Paolo Cirio: Artist of the Post-Panopticon Era

Foam proudly presents the solo exhibition 

by Hiền Hoàng, which encourages a multi-sensory reflection on the connection between humans and nature. Her practice is deeply shaped by interdisciplinary collaborations with scientists and technologists which reveal the ambivalent role of technology as both a means to understand nature and a force that distances us from it. 

Scent from Heaven, Still from the Film No. 3, 2023

Foam

A new best life, 2021

A scan from the Photo album of the artist's late aunt.

Made in Rice, backstage from the left video, 2021.

Lidar-Mesh from the experiment, 2024

Hiền Hoàng - Garden of Entanglement

From the series What's Ours © Myriam Boulos

From the series Revolution © Myriam Boulos

From the series Tell The Trees To Smile © Myriam Boulos

From the series Sexual Fantasies © Myriam Boulos

From the series Ongoing War © Myriam Boulos

From the series Post Explosion © Myriam Boulos

Foam Talent now: Myriam Boulous

The Fairmont Victim, 2021, from the series 'This Image Did Not Leave Me For Days' by Malak El Sawi, commissioned by Al Hayya Magazine #1. Styling by Ahmed Srour.

On Our Radar: Malak El Sawi

Opening of Loading... Works from the Foam Collection

Our mission

Description

Pink Ladies and Pear, 2012

as a Foam Member

Discover even more

Wedding day from the series Las Flores mueren dos veces, 2022

Louis Vuitton Jeff Koons Rubens Bag, 2020

From the series Home Leaving One for Another

"Mohlokomedi wa Tora", Scene 2, 2018 

Killa from the series Madre

In a sandstone mine 1 from the series This isn't Divide and Conquer

Dialect, 2020

authenticity (2 CHAINZ) from the series BLACK SNAFU, 2022

Wait from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here, 2022

Foam Magazine

Opening of Tyler Mitchell, photo by Almicheal Fraay

About

 weaves together several historical routes: that of his mother, growing up in Botswana after escaping the Apartheid regime of South Africa with her parents. That of his great-uncle, Zephania Mothopeng, the anti-Apartheid activist, imprisoned on Robben Island. And that of his grandfather, and his love for music, inspiring Makepe to pursue a creative career.

What at first glance may appear as a personal family narrative, in fact reveals the painful, racist and discriminatory political history of South Africa and the remnants of its colonial regimes. The series unfolds as a multi-dimensional, visual journey along these historical paths, touching on land dispossession, activism and colonialism.

includes striking portraits of his close relatives, sometimes re-enacting historical scenes, documentary photographs of important landmarks, as well as documents from Makepe’s family archive. Accompanying the visual material is a playlist of music, curated by the artist himself—connecting the work beautifully through the shared love for music. 

Sentlhane, 2022, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Monna Wa Mmino III, 2020, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Re A Hlopela Tombstone Unveiling from the series We Didn’t Choose to be Born Here, 2019

Archival footage from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Hippolytus Mothopeng [left] (1958), from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Hippolytus Mothopeng Citizenship, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

The Metronome Swing Orchestra in Botswana (1966), from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Garden, 2022, from the series We Didn't Choose to Be Born Here

The Aunt I Almost Had, 2021, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Wait, 2021, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Kgomo Tsaka Deile Kae, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Kereke, 2019, from the series We Didn't Choose to Be Born Here

Sello, 2021, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Martha and Hippolytus Mothopeng (1982), from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Robben Island University, 2020, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Mama Mo Metsi, 2019, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Under Surveillance, 2021, from the series We Didn't Choose to be Born Here

Thero Makepe

Created by Namsa Leuba in 2015. The artwork is an inkjet print on satin paper on dibond 2mm and displayed at 60 x 43.8 cm.

Waves from the Web, 2009

Visible in

This photo is bursting with graphic forms and lively colours, and the model’s posture radiates a sense of pride. The pink background contrasts with the yellow on Damien’s cheek. Aesthetically, this photo resembles a fashion shoot, much like you can find in a fashion magazine. Yet the photographer Namsa Leuba actually works in the space between multiple genres: inspired by fashion photography, she combines this form with documentary practices and performance art. In het series 

, she explores Nigeria’s innovative and creative youth culture. The Nigerian capital of Lagos, with its bustling chaos and resolute energy, served as Leuba’s inspiration for this series. To create 

, she collaborated with local fashion designers and models to translate the city’s vitality into a visual explosion of clothing, props and accessories. The resulting images, such as this portrait of Damien, present a complex, dynamic and contemporary reflection of Lagos, a city that proudly proclaims its own identity. 

Damien, 2015 from the series Next Generation Lagos, 2015

Damien, 2015

Created by Alessandro Imbriaco. The artwork is a c-print and displayed at 40 x 30 cm.

, photographer Alessandro Imbriaco seamlessly combines the portrait genre with documentary photography. In this image, traditional portrait photography techniques stand out: the subject is placed at the centre of the image, with the body turned slightly to the right while the head turns back to face the camera. At the same time, Imbriaco creates a somewhat mysterious atmosphere by the poor quality of light that gently falls on her rosy cheeks. This mood is enhanced by the background: dark and wild shrubbery surrounds the timid-looking girl, named Angela. The portrait hides the dire reality of migrants leading a concealed and isolated life in a marshy area at the edge of Rome, Italy. Imbriaco’s comment on this work: “

The colours are interesting and muted, like a Garden of Eden where everything has gone wrong.

, the Italian photographer Alessandro Imbriaco was selected for Foam Talent 2011. The story about Angela’s family’s life was shown as part of the group exhibition and in Foam Magazine #28 Talent. 

Angela from the series Angela's Garden

Angela

Created by Cristina de Middel. The artwork is an inkjet print on cotton paper and displayed at 50 x 50 cm.

Documentary and journalistic photography are often viewed as the most true-to-life forms of photography, with the created images serving as representations of reality itself. Yet a photograph never tells a purely objective story, even without any staging or editing. Every image tells a story through the photographer’s eyes, and this personal angle always infuses the image with a subtle subjective character. In 

, photographer Cristina de Middel plays with the promise of ‘truth’ suggested by the medium of photography. Based on historical fact, De Middel uses her imagination to recreate the cancelled space flight programme launched by Zambia in the 1960s. On the photograph 

, the viewer’s attention is drawn to a patch of white stone surrounded by a darker hillside, resembling part of a skull. This image could well be a faithful documentation of a natural phenomenon, but as a part of the series it nevertheless provokes the question whether it is truly so. 

Untitled from the series The Afronauts

Gwendalu

Created by Ivor Prickett in 2011. The artwork is a c-print and displayed at 79 x 79 cm.

At first sight, the four figures in this photograph appear to be waiting calmly in a row. But their gazes and the crowd in the background reveal a tense situation. 25 January 2011 marked the start of the Egyptian revolution that culminated in President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation on 11 February. In his series 

, documentary photographer Ivor Prickett documented the mass protests on Tahrir Square in Egypt’s capital city, Cairo. Rather than the chaos that dominates in the heat of the battle, Prickett is intrigued by the moments in between. For instance this moment, at which a group of anti-government protesters stand guard at a make-shift barrier to prevent any Mubarak supporters from entering the ‘liberated’ Tahrir Square. This unique approach is what distinguishes Prickett’s work from the many journalistic photo reports from conflict areas.  Although the tensions and traces of the revolution are clear to see in 

, the photographs emanate a sense of serenity through his use of light and colour. 

Untitled from the series Days of Anger

Untitled 2 from the series Days of Anger

Created by Pieter Hugo in 2005. The artwork is a digital c-print and displayed at 152.4 x 152.4 cm.

visible in

The young man in the image, Mallam Mantari Lamal, is part of a group of traveling troubadours in Nigeria known as the 'Hyena men'. In addition to taming and performing with hyenas, they sell traditional medicines as they tour the country. The heavy chain and sturdy muzzle covering the hyena's mouth reveal the strength of the predator at the end of the leash. However, Mallam strikes a confident pose as he stands next to the calmly reclining hyena.  

Pieter Hugo’s photographs are a blend of documentary and portrait photography. They not only portray the people he encounters, but also introduce their culture, lifestyle and environment. Through this series, Hugo highlights the paradoxical relationship between the men and their animals: both caring and cruel.  

(The portrait of Mallam Mantari Lamal with the hyena, Mainasara, is part of Pieter Hugo’s larger series

, a project for which he was awarded the 

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara,  Nigeria, 2005 from the series The Hyena & Other Men

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Nigeria, 2005 

Created by Pieter Hugo in 2007. The artwork is a digital c-print and displayed at 152.4 x 152.4 cm.

What body language do you observe in this double portrait of a man and a hyena? Inspired by a conversation with a friend, the Dutch photographer Pieter Hugo travelled to Nigeria to meet the so-called ‘hyena men’, a group of traveling performers shrouded in mystery. Rather than capturing the performances themselves, Hugo was more intrigued by the relation between the animal trainers and their hyenas. Tensed muscles, wide stance, and fierce gaze: both figures embody a sense of power and strength. The power play between Abdullahi Mohammed and Mainasara becomes physically visible in this image, in which the animal trainer keeps the hyena under control. 

, Hugo travelled with the Hyena men for two years, creating a range of work that hovers midway between documentary and portrait photography. 

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara,  Ogre-Remo, Nigeria, 2007 from the series The Hyena & Other Men

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogre-Remo, Nigeria, 2007

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara,  Ogre-Remo, Nigeria, 2007

Created by Mikhael Subotzky in 2006. The artwork is a light jet c-print on Fuji Chrystal Archive paper and displayed at 104 x 120 cm.

A surreal looking fence, filled with rubbish, stretches into the distance. In the desolate landscape, a figure wearing a spiderman mask stands tall. This is Samuel, garbage picker, in Beaufort West Rubbish Dump, South Africa. The apparent playfulness of an adult with a superhero mask is overshadowed by the heavily littered surroundings. In his documentary project, 

, Subotzky narrates the story of a community that is still grappling with the aftermath of apartheid, and seemingly overlooked as hundreds of cars pass by every day on their way to Cape Town or Johannesburg. To gain a sense of how it feels to live in a place like Beaufort West, Subotzky immersed himself in its community for several months.

Samuel (standing), Vaalkoppies (Beaufort West Rubbish Dump), 2006 from the series Beaufort West

Samuel (standing), Vaalkoppies (Beaufort West Rubbish Dump), 2006

Created by Fleur Boonman in 2005. The artwork is a c-print on synthetic material and displayed at 10 x 15 cm.

What if this image was taken one second later? Fleur Boonman photographed a dog at the peak of its yawn, its mouth gaping wide open, resulting in a comical image. 

 is a perfect illustration of Henri-Cartier Bresson's famous notion of the 'decisive moment'. A moment earlier or later and Boonman would have missed the moment of maximum tension in the dog’s fully opened jaws. The image demonstrates Boonman’s appreciation of the seemingly ordinary moments so essential to the work of a documentary photographer.  

, which was exhibited at Foam in the spring of 2005. The selection of images serves as a diary of Boonman’s nomadic life, consisting of everyday encounters during her travels around the world.

Dog from the series 34 Seconds

Created by Marjoleine Boonstra in 2004. The artwork is a c-inkjet print on aluminum and displayed at 110 x 135 cm.

A river meandering through the snow-covered peaks of some remote mountain range? How appearances can deceive! On closer inspection, a few clues in the distance (a lamp post, the yellow shed) give away the actual scale of the scene. The ‘mountains’ in the image are in fact just piles of soil excavated at a construction site in the financial district of Amsterdam. Instead of capturing the urban aspects of this newly developed area, Boonstra created a scene reminiscent of the majestic landscapes she likely encountered during her documentary work in distant countries. With 

, Marjoleine Boonstra illustrates how an unusual point of view can completely change the scene in front of the camera.  

, a long-term project recording the construction of Amsterdam’s financial district, De Zuidas. 

Zand van de Zuidas

What's Ours, 2019

Award prize

Selection criteria

Winner Foam Paul Huf Award 2025

Myriam Boulos

Jury 2025

We feel her presence in these images, where gentle interactions and encounters of vulnerability burst into power. We sense her deep connection to those she photographs. We feel her entanglement with the complexity of the situation.

Most recent exhibitions

All winners

About Paul Huf

Foam Talent Call

Foam 3h

back to the overview

Other talent inititatives

Foam Paul Huf Award

Created by Guillaume Simoneau in 2015. The artwork is a pigment print. It explores themes as environment, ecosystems and science.

Maldoror #6, 2014

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

In 2021 Foam receives additional support from the Mondriaan Fund and Kickstart Cultuurfonds

In the genre of documentary photography, it is quite common to produce work in series: multiple photographs that together tell a certain story. Each individual image contributes in a certain way to the bigger story, and it is the photographer who determines how and in which form. For example, in the documentary series 

 the photographer Guillaume Simoneau follows a group of scientists studying the impact of climate change and human interventions on nature, in the so-called ‘Experimental Lake Area’ in Canada. 

 is a close-up of a pair of hands repairing a net. How does this photo relate to the other images in the series, such as 

On Earth – Imaging, Technology and the Natural World

. In this exhibition, 27 contemporary artists reflected on the relationship between humans, technology and nature. 

Mending net, on location ELA, Canada, 2015 from the series Experimental Lake

Mending, on location ELA, Canada, 2015

 in 2012-16. Using inkjet print as the medium, the artwork is displayed at 140 x 100.

Mariage á Loèche-les-Bains (Marriage in Leukerbad), from the series Ekaterina, 2012-16

visible in 

Romain Mader’s Ekatarina is notable for the humour and irony with which he addresses serious issues: solitude, love, exploitation and the female body. In this Chinese box of a project, each layer opens to reveal a new interpretive possibility. What is real here, and what is fiction? 

exhibitions

This selfie depicts Romain Mader with his wife: it’s the end of the artist’s alter ego’s search of a wife. He started his mission in Ukraine, in an imaginary city mysteriously populated only by women, all named Ekaterina, and each hoping to find a rich western husband. In an utterly naïve narration by Romain about his search for the one and only Ekaterina, a series of stereotypes take the stage, from Mader performing as an oblivious western sex tourist, to interchangeable Ukrainian brides, up to the “typical” Soviet backdrop to the whole quest for love. The gap between preconceived ideas about a place like Ukraine and its reality is what is constantly exploited to the point of absurdity in Mader’s work. In a photographic language that perfectly employs the conventions of documentary photography, the confusion between what is fictitious and what is real – or what seems real – ultimately arises as a goal in itself.

Mariage á Loèche-les-Bains (Marriage in Leukerbad) from the series Ekaterina

 in 2012-16. Using inkjet print as the medium, the artwork is displayed at 40 x 50.

Demande en marriage, from the series Ekaterina, 2012-16

This picture depicts Romain Mader with his fiancée: it’s the end of the artist’s alter ego’s search of a wife. He started his mission in Ukraine, in an imaginary city mysteriously populated only by women, all named Ekaterina, and each hoping to find a rich western husband. In an utterly naïve narration by Romain about his search for the one and only Ekaterina, a series of stereotypes take the stage, from Mader performing as an oblivious western sex tourist, to interchangeable Ukrainian brides, up to the “typical” Soviet backdrop to the whole quest for love. The gap between preconceived ideas about a place like Ukraine and its reality is what is constantly exploited to the point of absurdity in Mader’s work. In a photographic language that perfectly employs the conventions of documentary photography, the confusion between what is fictitious and what is real – or what seems real – ultimately arises as a goal in itself.

Demande en marriage from the series Ekaterina

This pink, unworldly and fairy-like landscape was taken in Congo. 

Platon, from the series Infra, 2010

Documenting a place where war is part of everyday reality, Richard Mosse avoids traditional documentary war photographs. He used infrared film, an army tool, to detect the enemy’s presence, capturing green tones as pink. The atmosphere of his photographs navigates in the strange space between a grim fairy tale and the harsh reality of war where 

Platon from the series Infra

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

documentary

On Social Documentary Photography

Nan Goldin documentary première

Northern Winds: Jonathas de Andrade’s Fascination with Jangadeiros

Paolo Cirio
Artist of the Post-Panopticon Era

Hiền Hoàng
Garden of Entanglement

Myriam Boulos: Foam Paul Huf Award Winner 2025

The Fairmont Victim by Malak El Sawi

About

Thero Makepe

Damien, 2015

Angela

Gwendalu

Untitled

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Nigeria, 2005

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogre-Remo, Nigeria, 2007

Samuel (standing), Vaalkoppies (Beaufort West Rubbish Dump), 2006

Dog

Zand van de Zuidas

Foam Paul Huf Award

Mending, on location ELA, Canada, 2015

Mariage á Loèche-les-Bains (Marriage in Leukerbad) from the series Ekaterina

Demande en marriage from the series Ekaterina

Platon from the series Infra

Hiền Hoàng - Garden of Entanglement

From the Archive: Shenasnameh by Amak Mahmoodian

documentary

On Social Documentary Photography

Nan Goldin documentary première

Northern Winds: Jonathas de Andrade’s Fascination with Jangadeiros

Paolo CirioArtist of the Post-Panopticon Era

Hiền Hoàng Garden of Entanglement

Myriam Boulos: Foam Paul Huf Award Winner 2025

The Fairmont Victim by Malak El Sawi

About

Thero Makepe

Damien, 2015

Angela

Gwendalu

Untitled

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Nigeria, 2005

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogre-Remo, Nigeria, 2007

Samuel (standing), Vaalkoppies (Beaufort West Rubbish Dump), 2006

Dog

Zand van de Zuidas

Foam Paul Huf Award

Mending, on location ELA, Canada, 2015

Mariage á Loèche-les-Bains (Marriage in Leukerbad) from the series Ekaterina

Demande en marriage from the series Ekaterina

Platon from the series Infra

Hiền Hoàng - Garden of Entanglement

From the Archive: Shenasnameh by Amak Mahmoodian

Paolo Cirio
Artist of the Post-Panopticon Era

Hiền Hoàng
Garden of Entanglement