Symposium Future Memories

For nearly two centuries, photojournalists and documentary photographers have played a vital role in documenting the world we live in. Their work is showcased in photobooks, on digital platforms, across media outlets, and within museum exhibitions. These powerful images and narratives, safeguarded in archives and collections, are shaping how we perceive our present, understand our past and influence how we view the future.

Scope

This symposium brings together photographers, academics, and representatives from art and media institutions to explore their collective contributions and responsibilities in shaping the public perception. Drawing from visual culture and art history, visual conventions—such as the recurring depiction of crying women and children to evoke empathy and symbolize innocence—serve as powerful tools to communicate complex narratives. While rooted in both historical and contemporary photographic practices, these visual languages prompt a crucial question: how universal is this visual culture we have created? Join us as we delve into the evolving role of visual culture.

Programme

The symposium is a one-day programme featuring lectures and discussions, which have been divided into three sessions.

• During the first session, we will examine how visual traditions, conventions, and tropes shape our perception of the present, past, and future.
• The second session explores current practices and responsibilities of photographers and curators, and how they currently provide context for their audience.
• The third session will center on the future, examining how photographers and institutions perceive the evolving role of photography. We close these sessions with a dialogue between the audience and the speakers. 

During the symposium, attendees will have the opportunity to visit the exhibitions on display, including Carrie Mae Weems: Painting the Town, and American Photography.

We thank

The symposium is made possible by the Vincent Mentzel Fund, a Rijksmuseum Fund dedicated to the history of photojournalism with a focus on The Netherlands. This symposium is a collaboration with World Press Photo Foundation.

Speakers

Lebohang Kganye - Visual artist and photographer (South-Africa)
Wieteke van Zeil - Cultural journalist and writer (The Netherlands)
Tanvi Mishra - (Photo) editor, curator, and author (India)
Cristina de Middel - Documentary photographer (Spain/Brazil)
Iris Sikking - Curator of the Fotomuseum Den Haag (The Netherlands)
Kadir van Lohuizen - Photojournalist and visual storyteller (The Netherlands)
Tina Farifteh - Photographer and filmmaker (Iran/The Netherlands)
Joumana El Zein Khoury – Director of World Press Photo foundation (Lebanon/The Netherlands)
And others to be announced later.

For questions about this conference, please email us at vmsphotographysymposium@rijksmuseum.nl

Image

Photograph of the earth as seen from the moon, taken by the unmanned spacecraft Lunar Orbiter 1, 1966, NASA, AP. From the collection of the Rijksmuseum. RP-F-2017-40