Shigeru Onishi

This exhibition is made possible by the Japan Foundation.

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.

Foam proudly presents the first European solo exhibition of the Japanese mathematician and artist Shigeru Onishi. It is the first time that his photographic oeuvre is shown in Europe, giving the artist a deserved place in the history of photography.

 shows the forgotten photographic oeuvre of Shigeru Onishi (1928 - 1994). After graduating in topology (branch of mathematics) from Hokkaido University in 1953, the artist began to apply his mathematical theories to photography. Although his theories are fairly complex, they have produced a unique body of work that distanced him from other movements and ideas in Japanese photography of his time.

The Flicker Phase, 1950

Foam

Title unknown, 1950s 

The Flicker Phase, 1950s

Title unknown, 1950s

Shigeru Onishi - The Possibility of Existence, 2021

Shigeru Onishi - The Possibility of Existence

On Thursday 18 November, we invite you to join the curator tour of 

 by Shigeru Onishi. In the tour, Foam curator Mirjam Kooiman will take you through the first European solo presentation of this striking series.

Opening Shigeru Onishi and Alexandra Rose Howland, 2021

Exhibition tour: Shigeru Onishi - The Possibility of Existence

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Programme

Aby Fulani

We invited musician and producer Aby Fulani to create a playlist inspired by the works of Liz Johnson Artur. Offering a fresh way to experience the exhibition, music adds new dimensions to the essence of Liz's work, especially while museum doors are closed.

The different rooms were displayed like an assembly of different drummers and percussionists.

Liz Johnson Artur - of life of love of sex of movement of hope © Foam. Photo: Christian van der Kooy.⁠

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

A Queer Practice, Film and Photography. Archives of the work of Black Queer creators.

What does the city look like through the eyes of a child? Join us on an exciting journey in Foam, with a pinhole camera in hand! In this special workshop, kids will hit the streets with curious eyes and creative minds. Inspired by the exhibition 

, they’ll experiment with spy photography and explore the art of composition – capturing the city in surprising new ways.

Workshop pinhole fotografie voor kinderen

Workshop: Pinhole photography adventure for kids 

How do we preserve our stories? Which Black queer films and photographic works have had a profound impact on you, and why? Together with 

, this workshop will explore the power of queer representation on the big screen, and examine how you can contribute to archiving your own images, voices and memories.

Rafik

Join us on Sunday 15 January for a special evening with 

, who were invited to create a dance performance inspired by the work and exhibition of Blommers & Schumm.

Lunatics and Poets explore how gestures, movement, and objects shape their work. Intersecting with recurring themes in 

 work, such as desire, transformation, and the edges of fashion. Experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their creative process, witnessing how the ordinary can become poetic, performative, and alive.

Performance by Lunatics and Poets

Breath and Sway: Ode to Blommers en Schumm

What does the city look like through the eyes of a child? Join us on an exciting journey from Museumplein to Foam, pinhole camera in hand! In this special workshop, kids will hit the streets with curious eyes and creative minds. Inspired by the exhibition 

Workshop straatfotografie

Museumplein

Illegale opname vanuit fietstas van commandopost Kriegsmarine, genomen vanaf het Emmaplein de Emmalaan in, Amsterdam, 1944

Workshop: Pinhole photography adventure for kids

AI Walk-in Workshop Carlijn Jacobs

Every Sunday afternoon, Foam offers free walk-in workshops inspired by Viviane Sassen's current exhibition 

In this workshop, you will use your own photos and blend them with captivating images from magazines to create a unique collage. Afterwards, you can bring your artwork to life using various painting techniques. This workshop is suitable to all ages and skill levels.

Eudocimus Ruber from the series Of Mud and Lotus, 2017

Acid Lime from the series Heliotrope, 2016

Luxaflex from the series Of Mud and Lotus, 2017 C Viviane Sassen and Stevenson

Viviane Sassen Walk-in Workshop

and discover their world from up close. In these exclusive workshops you’ll collaborate on a new artwork together with the artists.

Through playful experiments with light, materials, and spatial objects, you’ll create an uncanny composition that challenges what feels familiar. An inspiring experience where experimentation, collaboration, and imagination take the lead.

Nella for buffalo magazine, styling Harry Lambert, 2019

Blommers/Schumm

Merkelbach Studio, Stadsarchief, 2013

Shifted Perspectives Studio Blommers & Schumm

(Wrong URL/Old Version) Photography Workshop: Mounir Raji - Home 

Are you curious about photography that goes beyond simply capturing what you see? Step into this walk-in workshop inspired by the visual language of artist duo 

Discover how to create a playful, conceptual or alienating image using a professional camera or smartphone by working with space, composition and light. Be surprised, experiment and create something that breaks away from the everyday.

The Desk for Mac Guffin 2020

Foam studio 1 & 2

Nadja for Buffalo Magazine, Styling by Harry Lambert, 2019

Blommers & Schumm Walk-in Workshop

Dive into the daily life of Amsterdam-West during a photography workshop at MAQAM, inspired by the exhibition

 is an ode to Amsterdam-West, and above all to the people who bring these neighbourhoods to life. During the workshop you will not only learn the techniques of street photography, but also gain insight into how to capture the essence of a place and its residents, from squares and back gardens to encounters that often go unnoticed yet form the beating heart of the city. 

The workshop will be from 13.00 until 17.00 hrs  on Sunday 30 November at MAQAM.

All images are from Mounir Raji's Home series. 

MAQAM

All images are courtesy of Mounir Raji's Home series.

All images from the series Home © Mounir Raji⁠.

Photography Workshop: Mounir Raji - Home 

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

AI Pub Quiz

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.

Did you ever think of combining the joy of generating AI images with the thrill of a rap battle? Join us for the 

 in collaboration with the digital culture platform 

— as part of the crowd or as a participant if you're up for the challenge.

During a prompt battle, participants will battle it out on stage to see who can create the most original, funniest, or weirdest AI-generated image. Instead of coming up with pulverising bars about your opponent or showing off your best moves, a prompt battle challenges you to generate an image using AI text-to-image software that goes way harder than your rival’s.

Screenshot The Hmm Co-creation with AI

Prompt Battle Co-Creation

Opening Photography Through the Lens of AI, 2024

Foam x The Hmm: AI Prompt Battle

Learn about the radicalizing potential of digital images in the masterclass 

 by exhibiting artists Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik. During this workshop, we will question the ethical use of visuals in the seemingly democratic online landscape, led by the artist duo and based on themes in their current exhibition 

Redpilled Video Still 2023

Gigapedia. Exhibition Glossary

Photography & Conflict, 2024

Bereitschaft, 2024

Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik – Visual Compas

During the summer months, Foam offers free walk-in workshops every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. The workshop is inspired by the current exhibition 

Louis Vuitton Jeff Koons Rubens Bag, 2020

Western Costume Jacket (Cheerleader), Skirt (Cheerleader) Showgirl (Bra Top, Long Fringe), 2023

Next Level: Sara Cwynar - S/S 23, 2023

Walk-in Workshop Sara Cwynar

Join us for a special collaborative evening at Foam with dining concept 

 as an inspiring backdrop, we will explore the ways in which the current beauty standards shape and influence us.

, consisting of a 4-course menu and drinks, we intend to ignite meaningful exchanges through cuisine while contemplating how we can collectively establish new concepts of what beauty truly means to us as individuals.

Tabili No. 4 Seasons, 2021

Tabili No 1, 2021

Tabili No 8, Nourishment, 2022

Tabili Manifesto, 2021

Contemporary Floral Arrangement - #144551 (1967) #2 The Relationship is a Matter of Style, 2023

Foam x Tabili: BEAUTY

On 9 December, we hosted a Zoom conversation with MEM Gallery Director Katsuya Ishida and Art Critic Vicente Todolí. Together with Project Coordinator Valeria Posada, these experts will engage in a conversation about Shigeru Onishi's rare body of work, currently featured in the exhibition 

shigeru-onishi

Shigeru Onishi
The Possibility of Existence

Curator Tour: Shigeru Onishi
The Possibility of Existence

Donate to Foam

Programme

Playlist by Aby Fulani: visualising the work of Liz Johnson Artur through sound

Through the little lens: Pinhole photography for kids

A Queer Practice:
film and photography

Breath and Sway: Ode to Blommers and Schumm

Through the little lens: Pinhole photography for kids

Painting & collage
walk-in workshop

Shifted Perspectives
In-Studio workshop by Blommers & Schumm

Walk-in workshop
Blommers and Schumm

Street Photography Workshop
Mounir Raji - Home

AI Pub Quiz

ArtificiaI Intelligence
Walk-in Workshop

Foam x The Hmm:
AI Prompt Battle

Visual Compass by Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik

Walk-in Workshop
Sara Cwynar S/S 23

Foam x Tabili: BEAUTY
An immersive dining experience

Zooming In
Reintroducing Shigeru Onishi's Oeuvre

shigeru-onishi

Shigeru Onishi The Possibility of Existence

Curator Tour: Shigeru Onishi The Possibility of Existence

Donate to Foam

Programme

Playlist by Aby Fulani: visualising the work of Liz Johnson Artur through sound

Through the little lens: Pinhole photography for kids

A Queer Practice: film and photography

Breath and Sway: Ode to Blommers and Schumm

Through the little lens: Pinhole photography for kids

Painting & collagewalk-in workshop

Shifted PerspectivesIn-Studio workshop by Blommers & Schumm

Walk-in workshop Blommers and Schumm

Street Photography Workshop Mounir Raji - Home

AI Pub Quiz

ArtificiaI IntelligenceWalk-in Workshop

Foam x The Hmm: AI Prompt Battle

Visual Compass by Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik

Walk-in WorkshopSara Cwynar S/S 23

Foam x Tabili: BEAUTYAn immersive dining experience

Zooming InReintroducing Shigeru Onishi's Oeuvre

Shigeru Onishi
The Possibility of Existence

Curator Tour: Shigeru Onishi
The Possibility of Existence

A Queer Practice:
film and photography

Painting & collage
walk-in workshop

Shifted Perspectives
In-Studio workshop by Blommers & Schumm

Walk-in workshop
Blommers and Schumm

Street Photography Workshop
Mounir Raji - Home

ArtificiaI Intelligence
Walk-in Workshop

Foam x The Hmm:
AI Prompt Battle

Walk-in Workshop
Sara Cwynar S/S 23

Foam x Tabili: BEAUTY
An immersive dining experience

Zooming In
Reintroducing Shigeru Onishi's Oeuvre