Iron and art at De Fotohal

Sep 23, 2013 | by Frederike | Art, Event

About the author

As a twenty-five year old writer, hummusaddict, night decorator, Master student, secret girlfriend of James Franco and lover of thick books, I totally agree with the saying that wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.

If you like photography as much as I do, September is your lucky month. With workshops, fancy openings and fairs all over town, there are many things to do and see. Since the 20th of September we’ve even been living in the official Fotoweek, and together with that De Fotohal kicked off. My original plan yesterday was to quickly drop by and take some photos for this piece you’re reading, but I ended up wandering around for a couple of hours and leaving this unconventional exhibition truly impressed.

No more clinics

Do you know what slightly bothers me sometimes at museums or galleries? Their hospital-like atmosphere. Just white walls and people in suits staring at you make me not want to stay any longer than I absolutely have to. De Fotohal solved this clinical correspondence by presenting their work in the industrial setting of the Van Gendthallen (just across Roest). This makes it low-key, in a good way, and feels like the rebellious stepbrother of, say, an Unseen. But don’t let the setting mislead you, the things I found there were of high quality. It’s an initiative of the new photography platform Red Bird Editions, and it pays attention especially to young and international talent. The open call submissions surprised even founder Dries Bos, so they reserved half of the hall to show the best candidates.

Wander and relax

The other half is filled with befriended organisations, like Vriend van Bavink and the Sandberg Institute. Weekender did a good job at creating a chill-out area, including a camper where you can sit and watch films, and there’s documentaries such as Like Knows Like, about people on the internet with many ‘likes’. You can see them in the black box (like a DoKa) in the middle of the exhibition. Besides photography and film, there’s also a sound installation that behaves like a living creature you have to feed with rice, and there’s a sculpture in the back that’s not made for children. All this can keep you busy for quite some time so if you’re curious, go take a look!