From June
2022
to February 2023
Language
English
Up to
11 seats
+1 scholarship
Dedication
60+
Hours
Photography is a means for communicating stories & ideas — a space for critical meditation on the world, but also a realm for self-reflection. What is the relationship between the intimate and the non-personal in photography? How do we tell stories that are "ours" to tell? How do we define our relationship with the medium in an era where everyone is empowered to tell their own story with a camera?
Guided by photographer Laura El-Tantawy, participants will be introduced to photography as a vehicle for individual storytelling. The program will delve into different modes of "personal" stories, by questioning documentary and its different media (stills, sound, moving images & text). You will explore the critical and poetic, collaborative and idiosyncratic, philosophical and intuitive, emotional and analytical.
The program will be conducted online over the course of 8 months with the goal to lead you to complete a personal project and acquire valuable skills to keep developing your career. To participate, simply fill in the form with your personal details, share a link to your portfolio and apply for free. If your application is successful, we will notify you and guide you to enroll in the program.
At the end of the program, one or more participants will be selected for an exhibition at the PhMuseum Lab - an opportunity for international exposure and a chance to present your work in a public venue.
With 4 online group classes and 3 seminars, Laura El-Tantawy will share her experience and working methods related to contemporary photography, guiding you in developing your project and introducing you to the theoretical frameworks for both critical and personal documentary strategies.
With these 4 online 60-min individual sessions you will have the time to engage in specific discussions aimed at working on your ideas and improving your methods. Sessions are tailor-made according to your specific needs and that of your project.
To grant you industry insight and offer complementary information, we have invited expert practitioners to host 5 interactive studio visits. They will disclose the methodologies behind their work and offer a better understanding of their role in the photography industry.
At the end of the program, one or more photographers will exhibit at PhMuseum Lab, our headquarters in Bologna, Italy. All participants will further benefit from dissemination opportunities through PhMuseum channels.
Combining group sessions with individual ones, Laura El-Tantawy will share her expertise and methods, guiding you in the development of your project. You will be introduced to theoretical and practical strategies of documentary making in the form of tailor-made feedback with the aim of completing your work along with potential presentation formats. Moreover, at the end of the masterclass, Laura and the PhMuseum team will offer an exhibition at the PhMuseum Lab (Bologna, Italy) to one or more participants. An opportunity for international exposure and a chance to present your work in a public venue. Check Laura El-Tantawy’s complete works here.
Laura El-Tantawy is an award-winning British/Egyptian documentary
photographer, artful bookmaker & mentor.
Born in Ronkswood (UK), Laura studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US & UK. Living between
East and West for much of her life inspires her work, which contemplates notions of home &
belonging through exploring social & environmental issues pertinent to her background. Her
photography is recognised for its characteristically painterly & lyrical eye on reality.
Laura started her career as a newspaper photographer in the United States. She turned
freelance in 2005, moving to Cairo and starting what became her seminal body of work In the
Shadow of the Pyramids. Laura is the first Egyptian to be awarded the prestigious W. Eugene
Smith Memorial Fund award, which she received for her long-term series I’ll Die For You. The
award honours photographers whose work follows the tradition of W. Eugene Smith's humanistic
photography & dedicated compassion. In 2016, she was among the four artists nominated for
the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, awarded annually to a
photographer who made the most significant contribution to the photographic medium in Europe
during the past year. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Afar, Le Monde, Wall
Street Journal, National Geographic, Time, New York Times, Huck & Foam.
Laura’s visual explorations often intertwine moving images, sound and personal narratives.
She has self-published five highly regarded monographs and is currently working on her
latest publication LULL, a visual meditation on the two years of lockdown. She is a Canon
Ambassador, representing the global camera giant’s vision & passion for visual storytelling.
In CRITICAE you will be granted unique access to the studio's of recognized practitioners in the form of virtual interactive studio tours. A way to enrich your experience and learn relevant insights from other artists. Each studio visit includes a presentation by an invited artist followed by an informal Q&A session.
Book Designer
Dutch graphic designer Sybren Kuiper studied Dutch language and
literature at the University of Utrecht. After graduating, he studied graphic design at the
art academy, also in Utrecht. Since 1994 he works as an independent graphic
designer.
He works almost exclusively for a wide range of cultural clients. The first half of his
career predominantly posters, flyers and programs for theatre productions & festivals, for
the last fifteen years he worked on an ever-growing oeuvre of books and catalogues
commissioned by museums, publishers, photographers and other artists. This site is dedicated
to the latter.
Sybren is always looking for new ways to transform the reading of a (photo) book into an
experience. To elevate the narrative of a project. To make it more than a collection of
pictures alone. Apart from a strong approach to editing/sequencing and a keen eye for the
use of text, he utilizes all the physical possibilities and characteristics of the book
format itself, sometimes deceptively simple, sometimes neglecting and stretching the
boundaries of bookmaking.
He also designs corporate identities and exhibitions. He is a part-time teacher and art
director. Occasionally he writes on behalf of his clients. Sybren’s work has been widely
recognized, nationally and internationally. And since 2017 he is a member of AGI (Alliance
Graphique Internationale).
Photographer
Amak Mahmoodian was Born in Shiraz, Iran and now lives in Bristol,
UK. Amak's work questions notions of identity and home, bridging the space between personal
and political. Through her journey, she explores the effects of exile and distance on
memory, dreams and daily life. In 2015, she completed a practice-based doctorate in
photography at the University of South Wales, having previously studied at the Art
University of Tehran. Working with images, poems and archives she has shown her work
extensively and won numerous awards.
She has realised two books, Shenasnameh in 2016 published by RRB Photobooks/ ICVL Studio and
Zanjir published in 2019 by RRB Photobooks which in 2020 was selected as the winner of the
prestigious Best Photo/Text Book Award offered by the Rencontres Arles.
Independent Art consultant & Editor
Monica Allende is an independent curator/artistic director,
consultant and educator. She is the Artistic Director of Landskrona Foto Festival and was
GetxoPhoto International Image Festival Artistic Director from 2017 to 2019. She curated
"Light" an exhibition during PhotoLondon 2021 at Peckham24.
She has also collaborated with WeTransfer as a Consultant and Creative Producer and was the
FORMAT17 International Photography Festival director. She is curating the Blues Skies
Project, a multidisciplinary project with artists Anton Kusters and Ruben Samama,
shortlisted for the Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize 2019 and exhibiting in Les
Recontres d’ Arles in 2021. She collaborates with Canon Europe as an adviser on the
Ambassadors and the Student Mentorship Programmes. She advises CAMPO.lat, a grassroots
digital platform, on strategy and programming. Allende was the Photo Editor at the Sunday
Times Magazine, where she launched Spectrum, the award-winning photography section. She is a
visiting lecturer at the London College of Communication, London & EFTI in Madrid. She is a
collaborator and teaches programmes in Latin America and Sarajevo for the VII Academy part
of the VII Foundation. She has also produced and taught creatives labs for FIFV in Chile,
Proyecto Imaginario, Argentina, ScreenLab in London and Taskheil in Saudi Arabia.
The Mentorship Business Programme for the University of Sunderland and workshop for
Internazionale a Ferrara, WPP workshop Angola, Magnum Professional Practice, Grain and
Format “East Meets West “ Programme among many others, and WPP JOOP Masterclass. She is
dedicated to nurturing new and established talent and nominates photographers for prizes,
including the Paul Huf Award, Deutsche Börse TPG Photography Prize, the Leica Oskar Barnack
Award, the Prix Pictet and The Joop Swart Masterclass/ WPP. Allende is also a reviewer and
ambassador for Reminders Photography Stronghold in Japan and Docking Station in Holland. She
is on the Board of Trustees of Photoworks advising on curatorial practices.
Gallerist
Born in Switzerland, Julie Bonzon (Dr.) is a London-based art
historian and a specialist in South African Photography. Following a Bachelors in History of
Art and Social Sciences at Université de Lausanne (2014), she completed a Masters in History
of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London (2015) and an AHRC-funded PhD in History
of Art at University College London (2020).
Bonzon has worked on curatorial and education projects for the Cultural Department of Magnum
Photos London, The Photographer’s Gallery, The Ian Parry Scholarship and private photography
collectors. She has written for several publications, including L’Oeil de la Photographie,
Nataal and the catalogue of the 10th Bamako Biennale and delivered papers in international
institutions, notably the British Museum in London and l’Institut National d’Histoire de
l’Art in Paris.
Bonzon is the Founder of The Photographic Collective, an online platform to present the work
and connect lens-based artists active in Africa. She worked at Messums London as Director of
Photography until 2022 and recently she joined Phillips, a Contemporary Auction house
founded on innovation and dedicated to the art of collecting.
Artist & Curator at Autograph
Bindi Vora is British-Indian artist working with expanded
photography, visiting lecturer at University of Westminster and Curator at Autograph a
London-based non-profit arts charity that explores issues of identity, representation, human
rights and social justice through photography. Since joining Autograph she has curated
Poulomi Basu: Fireflies (2022), co-curated Care I Contagion I Community – Self & Other
(2021-2022); Lola Flash: [sur]passing and Maxine Walker: Untitled (both 2019) and
contributed to a series of in-conversations with multidisciplinary artists include Mónica
Alcázar-Duarte,Poulomi Basu, Maryam Wahid, Tobi Alexandra Falade, David Uzochukwu amongst
others. She has independently curated Poulomi Basu: Centralia for Recontres d’Arles – Louis
Roederer Discovery Award (2020); Let’s Go Through This Again (Portland Works, Sheffield
2018); her writing has appeared in publications by Maryam Wahid Zaibuinnisa (Midlands Art
Centre, 2022); Another Country: British Documentary Photography Since 1945 (Thames & Hudson,
2022); FOAM Magazine (2020), British Journal of Photography (2021) and Loose Associations
(2017), participating in public programmes for Tate Modern, Peckham24, GRAIN Photo Hub, The
Photographers Gallery amongst others. She currently serves on the Curatorial Advisory Board
for Amber-Side Gallery, Newcastle.
As an artist her works have been exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery (UK); Yinka
Shonibare’s Guest Projects (UK); 180 The Strand (UK); Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood
(UK); Phoenix Gallery (UK); Cultural Centre of Belgrade (RS); Benaki Museum (GR); Art Stage,
(SG); amongst others. She has been commissioned by Hospital Rooms an arts and mental health
charity to create new artworks for NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, Devon Partnership
NHS Foundation Trust (2019) and will undertake a new work for Southwest London and St
George’s Mental Health NHS Trust at Springfield Hospital, London (2022). Her works are part
of collections including the Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection / MoMA (US), Guy’s & St
Thomas Foundation (UK), The Hyman Collection (UK); Imperial Health Charity (UK),
Self-Publish Be Happy at Maison Européenne de la Photographie (FR), The Women’s Art Library
at Goldsmith’s University (UK), amongst others. www.bindivora.co.uk
This program grants you first-hand experience from an international photographer like Laura El-Tantawy, enhancing your theoretical and practical approach to documentary photography.
At the end of the masterclass, all the participants will have completed their projects, ready to present in a final form. Plus, one or more participants will exhibit their projects at the PhMuseum Lab in 2023.
Engage with a selected group of peers and professionals from around the world, who can become a resource for you in the future. Take advantage of PhMuseum channels to promote your work.
During these uncertain times, take the opportunity to engage in a program that will always be available to you. Plus, you have the chance to learn from home while working or studying.
Enjoy a high-end program at our launching price, one of the most competitive on the market. If you don’t have the resources, you can also apply for 1 fully-funded scholarship.
Discover below the work of the 11 photographers who attended the first edition of the PhMuseum Documentary Photography Masterclass. Watch here their final public presentation.
Photographer
A visual artist working with different forms of photography and other lens based mediums, text and archival material. Henri’s work is socially engaged, revolving around presenting perspectives on phenomena within society and communities through documentary narratives. His works are characterised by the dialectical document that engages a subject matter but at the same time inquires about the constructions and incongruities within the medium it uses to represent that subject. He defines documentary as an intention by the author to constitute and disseminate understanding, constructing his documentary narratives in polyphonic, inclusive and contradictive ways.
Graduating with a BA in photography at the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Art in 2021. His work has been a part of exhibitions at festivals and museums such as Krakow Photomonth and Amos Rex. In addition to his artistic practice, Henri is the main lecturer for photography at the HEO Institute for Further Education.
Photographer
Amsterdam based photographer who visualizes scenes with a cinematographic approach. Her work revolves around (sub)cultures and a sense of community. As a visual anthropologist she examines culture, identity, traditions and the associated symbolism.
She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague in 2016. She creates autonomous projects as well as works for clients. Her work has been exhibited during the Dutch Design Week, Helsinki Photo Festival and in TETEM, among others.
Photographer
Being of a mixed ethnic background, she takes great interest in researching and rethinking the place of different minorities in the modern Russian culture. She is currently working on a project that processing a traumatic experience shared by a small community just outside of Moscow. Her interests lie within the field of collective memory and a sense of belonging to a community or a cultural/ethnic group.
Photographer
Photographer
Camilla Marrese (1998) is an italian photographer and designer. She holds a bachelor in visual communication from ISIA Urbino (IT), and is now attending MA Information Design at Design Academy Eindhoven (NL). Together with Gabriele Chiapparini, she is developing a collaborative artistic practice rooted in the idea of turning private, individual thinking into raw matter for a collective elaboration. They are interested in employing photography as a tool to explore and study territories, identities, and to look for answers to intimate questions.
Photographer
Through different lens-based practices, by drawing and diverse collaborative strategies, his projects attempt to navigate the infinite and multiple possibilities in visual documentary narratives. Embarking on different paths, his works are based on and with the interconnections with local histories, re-visited myths, oral memories, belonging, imagination and community.
Graduated in Photography at Spilimbergo School of Applied Arts in Argentina. Afterward, the social-economic crisis in 2001 broke out, he became a cook. While living between Latin America and Europe, he engages in multiple educational experiences; such as Criticae-Max Pinkers, Folio Phmuseum, Laura El-Tantawy-Sybren Kuiper, Experimental's Photobook-Julián Barón, 20Fotógrafos, Estudio Marcos López, Rodrigo Fierro-Gabriel Orge, among others. Currently at ISSP Masterclass-Rhizoma: Political Constellations with Lisa Barnard.
His works have been awarded and exhibited on different platforms such as; the Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Award at Duke University (US), Phmuseum Days (IT), Verzasca Foto Festival (CH), Emergentes International Photography Award-Encontros da Imagen (PT), Valongo Festival Da Imagen (BR), Yet-Magazine (CH), PHEspaña (ES), SCAN PhotoBooks (ES), Ojo de Pez (ES). Twice awarded grants by the Fondo Nacional del Arte (AR).
Photographer
She holds a BA and MA in Photography from ”George Enescu” National University of Arts, Iași, where she is now a doctoral candidate, with a research on photographic documentary practices regarding the Romanian economic migration. She has also pursued two Erasmus programs at Universidad del País Vasco, Bilbao and Universidad de Murcia, Spain. Her work has been displayed in group exhibitions in Iași and Bucharest, Romania.
Photographer
Lee-Ann Olwage is a visual storyteller from South Africa. Her work is all about identity, collaboration, and celebration. She is interested in using the medium of photography as a mode of co-creation and celebration. With her long-term projects, she aims to create a space where people she collaborates with can play an active part in the creation of images they feel tells their stories in a way that is affirming and celebratory.
In 2020 she was awarded a World Press Photo Award, Palm Photo Prize shortlist, CAP Prize shortlist, Marilyn Stafford Fotoreportage Award shortlist, IPA Honorable Mention, and selected for The New York Times Portfolio Review. She is a member of Native Agency, Women Photograph, and African Women in Photography.
Photographer
Suzan Pektas is an Istanbul based visual story teller. She developed a passion for visual forms of expression during her high school years. Pektas has been further exploring these different forms at the intersection between visual arts and documentation since 2015. Her current projects focus on the identity of the individual in relationship to his or her environment, dealing mostly with women, urban transformation and immigration. Her works have been featured in printed and online media such as Courrier International, LFI Magazine, Leica Camera, LensCulture, 6MOIS, RedMilk Magazine, etc. and exhibited at international festivals.
Photographer
Alex Robertson is a photographer living and practising in Hackney Wick, East London. Taking a documentary photography approach to his work, Alex has developed an immersive style with collaboration at the centre of his practice. By positioning himself within the environment of his work, his photography takes on an authentic and highly contextual quality.
Drawing on the many forms that documentary photography can take, Alex chooses to focus on social context and the wider political landscape within which his work sits. He also uses constructed elements within his work, exploring the staged nature of images and our relationship with photography in the era of social media, image manipulation and the internet. Whilst his images from his warehouse project are a product of the at-risk artist’s community in Hackney Wick, they also directly contribute to this rapidly changing landscape; Alex’s documentary practice allows him to explore this symbiosis.
Photographer
Just click on apply now and send us your portfolio. All the applications will be reviewed by PhMuseum Team. What we will consider is the potential of your ongoing project, the strength of your ideas and the coherence of your portfolio. If your application is successful, you will then be able to enroll in the program.
5 May - If you apply by this date you can be eligible for the full scholarship. Please take care of sending a motivational paragraph that addresses why you would benefit from attending the program.
12 May - If you apply by this date you can be eligible for the Early Bird Fee of €1,600. All applications submitted for the scholarship will be automatically eligible for the Early Bird Fee.
26 May - If you apply by this date you can join the program by paying the Regular Fee of €1,850. The seats are limited, so we recommend you to not wait until the last day.
Please note, in case you will be offered a place, PhMuseum will be happy to provide you with a supporting letter when you try to secure any external funding opportunities. For example, in previous editions of our masterclasses, the fee of candidates has been fully funded thanks to the generous support of IWMF Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists or other national programs.
All the online classes are held on Zoom. We will grant you a specific link each time and you will need to connect at least 15 minutes before. To attend them you will need a Mac OS X 10.11 or higher or Windows 7 or higher.* Plus, a stable internet connection, a quiet environment and access to Google Drive.
Drop us a line at rocco@phmuseum.com.