THROUGH THE LENS offers a platform to ambitious, promising talents who show exceptional skill in the exploration of the possibilities of photography.

Four artists participate in the exhibition: Tom Callemin (b. 1991, Belgium, lives and works in Ghent), Kudzanai Chiurai (b. 1981, Zimbabwe, lives and works in Johannesburg), Sara Cwynar (b. 1985, Canada, lives and works in New York) and Anna Vogel (b. 1981, Germany, lives and works in Düsseldorf).

Tom Callemin is alumnus Photography and Free Arts at KASK in Ghent. He is one of the upcoming local talents. His photographic images manage to capture the attention in a hypnotic manner. He gained widespread public favor immediately after graduating in 2015, as evidenced by his solo exhibitions at the Photo Museum (Antwerp) in 2016 and De Brakke Grond (Amsterdam), also in 2016, a participation in the photo festival Breda Photo in 2014, as well as the prestigious Prix Levallois in 2015 and a multitude of raving reviews.

Kudzanai Chiurai was the first student of color to graduate with a Bachelor (BA Fine Art) from the University of Pretoria. His engaged art focuses on political, social and cultural problems in Zimbabwe. In 2014 he was shortlisted for the coveted Future Generation Art Prize organized by the PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv, Ukraine. Chiurai previously had solo exhibitions in, amongst others, the RISD Museum (Rhode Island, USA) in 2015 and at Kunsthal Rotterdam in 2014. In addition, his work was also shown on dozens of venues such as the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (Harara) in 2016, the Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao) in 2016, Les Rencontres d’Arles in 2016 and 2014, the Venice Biennale in 2015, the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt) in 2014, La Maison Rouge (Paris) in 2013, documenta (Kassel) in 2012, MoMA (New York) in 2011 and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) in 2011. The American magazine Forbes, well known for its rankings, listed him among ‘Thirteen Africans To Watch In 2013’. His work has been included in important collections such as that of the MoMA (New York) and the private collection of Elton John.

Sara Cwynar studied English Literature at the University of British Columbia and earned a Bachelor of Design from York University in Toronto. She stands out with characteristically striking works such as her monochromatic Color Studies and the series Accidental Archives – both of which draw on a confluence of literature and kitsch. Her work is currently on view in the Malmö Konsthall in Sweden and Mudam in Luxemburg. There is broad interest in her work, evidenced by the many exhibitions earlier this year in, amongst others, Fourteen30 Contemporary (Portland), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Detroit), Zabludowicz Collection (London) and White Columns (New York). In 2016 she participated in a group exhibition in the Fondazione Prada (Milan) and was nominated for the Prix Découverte in the photo festival Les Rencontres d’Arles. In 2015 she exhibited at MoMA PS1 (New York).

Anna Vogel studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in Germany. She was a student of the renowned photographers Thomas Ruff and Andreas Gursky, whose work is indebted to the minimalist visual language of the artist couple Bernd and Hilla Becher. Andreas Gursky, who considers Anna Vogel one of his most talented students, has been following and supporting her to this day. In the wake of these photographers, Vogel developed a distinctive, personal visual language. With her timeless photographic prints, altered by means of graphic additions, she has already had several solo exhibitions, such as at the Kunstverein Hildesheim in 2017 and the Kunstverein Recklinghausen in 2015. She has also participated in group exhibitions at the MARTa Herford Museum (Herford) in 2015 and at the Sammlung Philara (Düsseldorf) in 2014, amongst others.

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