Join us on Tuesday 6 May for an online presentation by Matt Black of his long term project American Geography.
Between 2014 and 2020, Matt Black traveled from his hometown in California's Central Valley to hundreds of other communities across the United States. Concentrating on cities, towns, and counties with poverty rates above 20%, he discovered that he could travel from coast to coast without ever crossing above the poverty line. His exploration of this stark American reality grew to cover over 100,000 miles and 46 states, spread across five cross-country trips.
In a 2016 article titled “Economic growth in the United States: A tale of two countries,” economists Emmanuel Saez, Thomas Piketty, and Gabriel Zucman state, “Our data show that the bottom half of the income distribution in the United States has been completely shut off from economic growth since the 1970s. It’s a tale of two countries. For the 117 million U.S. adults in the bottom half of the income distribution, growth has been non-existent for a generation while at the top of the ladder it has been extraordinarily strong.” With his project American Geography, Matt Black chose to focus on one of these two countries. For six years, starting in 2014, traveling by bus and by car across the US, he explored “the geography of poverty” – photographing an America and American lives that to him were the rule, not the exception.
A photobook was published by Thames & Hudson in 2021.
The FUTURES: Learn with Magnum Photos program is designed to help FUTURES artists address challenges in their photography careers, inspire creativity, and build a sense of community. The success of this program relies heavily on your participation. We encourage you to register for the sessions, stay fully engaged, keep your video on, and actively participate with questions and comments. We are working to make the program more interactive, aiming to overcome the limitations of online meetings, and we are confident that together, we can create something meaningful and valuable.
Curated exclusively for FUTURES artists.
Join the Open Studio at Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest!
Tim will present his project, "Prophetic Futures", about the tension between progress and present-day challenges through the lens of his great-great-grandfather Ludwig Stein’s theory of Evolutionary Optimism.
Join us for an exclusive open studio with visual artist Thana Faroq, our newest resident at the FUTURES Hub.
Thana Faroq will present her ongoing project Imagine Me Like a Country of Love, where she explores what happens when we disturb the memories we left behind, inspired by her own return to Yemen after nearly a decade.
She navigates the emotional and physical transformations of a homeland marked by time's passage and the shadows of conflict. By engaging with archival photographs, contemporary visuals of Yemen, and experimental techniques such as animation and text as image, her work reflects on the emotional landscapes of grief, disorientation, and transformation. It treats memory as a living, mutable entity, shaped by the forces of nature, environment, and technology.
The open studio will include:
• Fragmented screening of Imagine Me Like a Country of Love
• Readings from the project’s textual narratives accompanied by Coffee from Yemen and light food
• a Q&A session
📅 Event Details
Date: Thursday, 10th April 2025
- Walk-in: 17:00 – 18:00
- Artist Q&A: 18:30
- Studio Open Until: 20:00
About Thana Faroq:
Thana Faroq is a Yemeni photographer and educator based in the Netherlands. She works with photography, texts, sound, and the physicality of the image itself, as a way to respond to the changes that have been shaping and defining her life, and sense of belonging both in Yemen and the Netherlands. Thana's positioning as a photographer is informed by her reflections on her subject matter, tuning in to other people’s lived experiences with which she continually grows familiar. She also increasingly seeks her own story in the frame.
The FUTURES residency program is supported by Creative Europe.
We look forward to seeing you there!
The FUTURES: Learn with Magnum Photos program is designed to help FUTURES artists address challenges in their photography careers, inspire creativity, and build a sense of community. The success of this program relies heavily on your participation. We encourage you to register for the sessions, stay fully engaged, keep your video on, and actively participate with questions and comments. We are working to make the program more interactive, aiming to overcome the limitations of online meetings, and we are confident that together, we can create something meaningful and valuable.
On Tuesday 1 April for an online presentation of Olivia Arthur’s latest book published by VOID: Murmurings of the Skin.
The book looks at both human and machine, not in contrast with each other, but melded together into one lyrical examination of the body. From page to page, we see depictions of people and robots through gentle black-and-white portraits, images of natural and artificial body parts in close examination, moments of stillness, and moments of movement.
For the making of the book, Arthur’s process was slow and purposeful. Changing her approach to work in 5×4, she was obliged to set up her box camera and tripod for each image, ducking underneath the dark sheet each time to get the shot. Working in large format is a slow, intimate, and deliberate process, one that obliges photographer and subject to really spend time with each other, and one in which the person being photographed knows what is going on. “You don’t grab a picture, you really work on it together, and I found it felt very honest to me,”
In this session, Olivia will specifically talk about this project and the making of the book. As always, there will be plenty of space for questions so please come prepare!
Curated exlusevily for FUTURES artists.
FUTURES & Magnum Photos are excited to launch a new public talk series: Artist Spotlight.The inaugural Artist Spotlight will feature Raisan Hameed.
Raisan Hameed (*1991) is an Iraqi-German multimedia artist based in Leipzig. He joined FUTURES in 2023, nominated by Der Grief.
During this talk, he will present his latest body of work Pixels of Memories, an attempt to address the disappearance of institutional and personal archives in the war-torn city of Mosul by re-constructing them using Google maps. Hameed’s work is a reflection on the construction of an Iraqi identity and reveals how political conflicts shape landscapes and people.
About FUTURES x Magnum Artist Spotlight:
Every two months, we’ll invite a photographer from the FUTURES platform to join us for an engaging online conversation about their artistic journey. This series offers a unique chance for audiences worldwide to hear directly from the artist, gaining insight into their practice, motivations, and creative processes.
We also hope to inspire the next generation of photographers, providing them with the opportunity to connect with artists who recently began their careers.
Join us for an exclusive open studio with visual artist Hiền Hoàng, our newest resident at the FUTURES Hub.
Hiền Hoàng will present her ongoing project, A Body of Past and Future. In Amsterdam’s parks and along its canals, certain trees bear silent testimony to centuries of global exchange. Many arrived as seeds or saplings through colonial trade routes, reflecting an era when botanical exploration and economic ambition shaped Europe’s landscapes.
This project examines one such colonial-era tree species, using archival research, photography, and 3D scanning to reveal how past technological and ecological encounters inform current environments—and how these green legacies might evolve amid future climate shifts.
📅 Event Details
Date: Thursday, 27th February 2025
- Walk-in: 17:00 – 18:00
- Workshop with Hiền: 17:00-17:30
- Artist Q&A: 18:30
- Studio Open Until: 20:00
As part of the event, Hiền will hold a workshop with other 5 participants on 3D Scanning and Virtual World Building on everyday objects—from tree logs and leaves to cups or even your own face!
Participant can discover how to import those scans into Blender to construct a small virtual environment. By the end of the workshop, they can have a scene to explore and mix with the real world (depending on the device they use) or to share online forvia a VR website.
What to bring with you:
- An iPhone 11 or later, or an iPad 12 with XR / AR Viewer and / or LiDAR: https://www.apple.com/augmented-reality/
- The Polycam app (please install and register for the free/trial version in advance)
- A laptop (any OS) with Blender installed (free download from blender.org)
- You can also bring objects you want to scan with you.
⚒️ Workshop Details
- Time: 17:00
- Duration: 20-30 min
- Participant: Max. 5 people
🔗 Workshop RSVP by 25th February 2025 to book your spot!
About Hiền Hoàng:
Hiền Hoàng (b. 1990) is a Vietnamese-born, Hamburg-based multimedia artist whose work bridges the intersections of human memory, nature, and technology. Through a practice that spans scientific data, installation, video, virtual/augmented reality, and performance, she creates multisensory experiences that uncover unseen narratives and explore ecological and emotional connections.
The FUTURES residency program is supported by Creative Europe.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Writing Seminar – Tuesdays: 18 & 25 Feb, 4 Mar
Curated exclusively for FUTURES artists. *Please note that registration is required to attend the lecture.
Led by Dr Taous Dahmani, an experienced writer and educator who teaches writing to practitioners at LCC, this workshop is an open and welcoming space designed for photographers and image makers at any stage of their careers or projects. Whether you’re just starting out, feeling stuck, or looking to refine your ideas, these sessions invite you to explore the interplay between text and image.
Each session will include a short lecture, live writing exercises, and time for open discussions, creating a dynamic and supportive environment for experimentation. Taous brings a deep passion for reading and writing, and her teaching approach encourages creativity and confidence—even if you think writing isn’t for you. Come with curiosity, and leave with new tools to articulate and deepen your vision.
Session Schedule
📅 Session 1: Finding the Right Words – Writing About Your Practice
🗓 Tuesday, 18 February | ⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM CET
📅 Session 2: Reading to Write – Building the Foundations for Your Practice
🗓 Tuesday, 25 February | ⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM CET
📅 Session 3: Practical Writing – Communicating Your Work with Clarity
🗓 Tuesday, 4 March | ⏰ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM CET
About Taous Dahmani: Dr. Taous Dahmani (she/her) is a London-based French, British and Algerian art historian, writer and curator specializing in photography. Dahmani curated the 2022 Louis Roederer Discovery Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles in France. In October 2024, she curated two themed group exhibitions at the Jaou Photo Biennale in Tunis, Tunisia. The following month, she unveiled a solo exhibition of SMITH at NOUA in Bodø, Norway. For FEP, she is curating ‘Anastasia Samoylova: Adaptation’ at the Saatchi Gallery.
Her writing is featured in photobooks published by Loose Joints, Textuel, Tate Publishing and Chose Commune, as well as in magazines like The British Journal of Photography, FOAM, GQ, Aperture, Camera Austria, 1000 Words Magazine.
She is the associate editor of the award winning book Shining Lights. Black women Photographers in 1980’s-90’s Britain (MACK/Autograph ABP, 2024). She joined LCC (UAL) as an Associate Lecturer in January 2023.
Sonia Jeunet: Sonia Jeunet is the Education Director at Magnum Photos in London. In this role, she curates educational programs and leads strategic partnerships to shape the agency’s vision for education. Sonia has collaborated with some of the most respected professionals, institutions, and photographers in the industry.
Sonia has 15 years experience working in the photography industry. Prior to Magnum, she held key positions at Panos Pictures in London and NOOR in Amsterdam, as commissioning editor, photo editor and project manager.
She teaches regularly about professional practice and regularly takes part in juries for leading photography competitions and festivals.
Join us for an exclusive open studio with visual artist Valeria Cherchi, our newest resident at the FUTURES Hub.
Valeria will present her ongoing project RE:Birth. Through a multimedia and non-linear approach, she investigates obstetric and gynecological violence—a form of abuse that has remained hidden for a long time and continues to be largely ignored. RE:Birth invites the viewer to reflect on critical but often invisible issues, such as trauma, bodily autonomy, and the dynamics of power, offering a profound and multi-layered exploration of obstetric and gynecological violence.
Thursday, 19th December
Walk-in: 17:00 – 18:00 | Artist Q&A: 18:30 | Studio open until 20:00
About Valeria:
Valeria Cherchi (b.1986) is an artist and educator from Sardinia, Italy, currently based in Milan. Her non-linear practice focuses on the meaning of the ‘unspoken’, with a particular interest in using images and words to shed light on little known stories about lack of social justice. By weaving together her photography, journal of on-site research, archival material and official narratives, Cherchi creates multivocal chronicles that exposes the contradictions of certain social and political phenomenons before their removal from historical consciousness.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Supported by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea.
FUTURES and Fotogalleriet are pleased to announce the launch of the new publication Ties That Bind – Fictions, Orthodoxies and Interdependencies. Through new and translated fiction, poetry, essays and commissioned visual essays, Ties That Bind is an anthology that rethinks attachment and social power relations within family, state, friendship, identities and communities through passion, intoxication, exhaustion, desire, devotion, aid and intimacy in private and public spheres.
Using a decentralised editorial method based on distributed agency, young artists in the FUTURES photography network were invited to suggest untranslated poetry and prose in any language that responded to these overarching questions of codependency and reciprocity. A final selection was then edited by former director of Fotogalleriet Antonio Cataldo and artist and FUTURES nominee Nikhil Vettukattil, combined with six new photographic commissions by FUTURES artists.
“Reciprocity, this book intends to point out, also speaks about toxic relations and the need to rethink the world and its inherent unconscious (as well as undisguised) subordinations if we want to be part of determining structural change. With this volume, our aim is to show the full spectrum of feelings, including perhaps the most “unruly” ones, that arise from imaginative— and unconscious—processes that are not always directed by logic and rationality. Rather, such effects are guided by principles like association, distraction, and wandering—getting lost in the page, the images, the words. We wanted to restore power to involuntary processes guided by conversations that do not always need to lead to an elsewhere other than critical reflection. We looked at forms of exchange, translation, and sharing as ways of gathering that are often connected to discourse as well as physical encounter. We wanted to see if it was possible to maintain or resemble such processes on the page.”—Antonio Cataldo
“The play between fictive and real that is always at the heart of photography is also at work in the many texts shared here, often united by the personal modes of address, intimations of familiarity or proximity, voyeurism and embodiment always at the edge of interiority and the performance of intersubjective selves. [...] What other forms of interconnectedness and companionship are possible if queer or other marginalised and resistant communities are centred, as both the model and inspiration for wider social relations? What kinds of kinship are everywhere practised by chosen family, in diasporas and through artistic invention; In what ways do they undo the toxicities and properties of the relations that we otherwise inherit? What are the issues specific to other forms of coexistence that need more attention?”—Nikhil Vettukattil
Online Meeting
📅Date: Thursday, 21st November 2024
📌Time: 15:00–15:45 CET | Online Launch - FUTURES Annual Publication "Ties That Bind – Fictions, Orthodoxies and Interdependencies"
📍Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89535580242
We are excited to announce our second live lecture featuring photographer Carolyn Drake as part of the FUTURES: Learn with Magnum Photos program.
This program is developed by Magnum Learn exclusively for FUTURES artists.
Program Overview:
- 15:00 - 15:10 | Welcome
- 15:10 - 15:30 | Introduction by Menno Liauw, Director of FUTURES, and Sonia Jeunet, Global Education Director of Magnum Photos
- 15:30 - 16:30 | Lecture by Carolyn Drake
- 16:30 - 17:30 | Drinks