For Steenbergen Stipendium 2023, jury chairman Munganyende Hélène Christelle, jury member Alexander Furtado Melville and jury member Juul Hondius have selected five nominees from four different academies. The nominees offer a clear insight into how the current generation of image makers apply the medium of photography.
The nominees are:
- Uedia Ballijn – Willem de Kooning Academie, Rotterdam
- Noor Boiten – St. Joost School of Art & Design, Breda
- Aaryan Sinha – Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag
- Antonia Valentina – Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
- Sean Charlton White – Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Den Haag
Uedia Ballijn
"In Pursuit of Tongo" is a project that explores the fear of talking. This personal journey and extensive research inspired the search for a tangible representation of the essence of the project – a physical space that could embody and materialize the findings. The project uses the 'Matenbeater', a sacred Surinamese symbol that is traditionally woven into jewelry. By using this symbol, Uedia aims to bridge the gap between the various factors she has researched and considered.
The installation serves as a dynamic platform where both a video documentation and the edited 'Mattenkloppers' can be discovered. It symbolizes an ongoing dialogue, a transference between her past, present and future – a constant exchange and re-experiencing of memories.
Noor Boiten
I carry all the names I’m given
Although the social debate on gender inclusion has expanded, Noor still feels the pressure to choose a label. Instead of choosing a pronoun that Noor identifies with, the mirror image is sought elsewhere. The work consists of different parts in which a fusion has taken place between different stories, online resources and experimental approaches to sculpture and video. I carry all the names I’m given is about the fictional life of a random JPEG photo file going through human emotions.
AaryAn Sinha
This isn’t Divide and Conquer is a study by Aaryan Sinha in which he has captured the current, shaped Indian landscape and identity through various historical events. This project has taken shape in a journey to old and new places in the border region of Pakistan; it traces the traces and consequences of British rule. Through This isn’t Divide and Conquer is the direct and indirect impact of the separation 75 years ago between India and Pakistan visualized through a modern angle.
Antonia ValenTINA
Wat Antonia Valentina in A call to anyone is far enough away to be new and close enough not to be a stranger. Her research focuses on 23-year-olds and the ACTA building in Amsterdam South. In a daring way, Antonia manages to visualize both research topics in the current zeitgeist.
Sean Charlton White
Welkom in Nederland: A Visual Study of Western Society Through The Dutch Neoliberal Utopia
Welkom in Nederland is a semi-fictional satirical documentary about the Dutch neoliberal utopia that can be expanded more to the West. The project highlights various challenges from our past, present and future and reveals and questions the absurdities of Dutch society through its relationship with its environment. Using the visual codes of documentary photography, mixing fact and fiction, produces images that blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. A satire has emerged that challenges the traditional forms of documentary and at the same time examines how the Dutch have reshaped their reality.
Exhibition: October 12th to November 26th, 2023.
Voting is possible at the Nederlands Fotomuseum until November 12, 2023.
Award ceremony: November 16, 2023