CRITICAE 2021/22
Online Masterclass On Documentary Photography
10 participants will have the opportunity to expand their research methods and develop their own documentary work under a 6-months guidance with Max Pinckers.
- When From May 2021 to November 2021
- Language English
- Positions 9 seats +1 scholarship
- Dedication 60+ Hours
- Earlybird fee €1,500
- Full fee €1,650
- Contacts If you have any questions you can reach us at edu@phmuseum.com
PhMuseum Documentary Photography Masterclass Public Presentation
Activate Your Practice
Documentary photography is both a critical reflection on photography itself and a way of dealing with reality in an attempt to understand it and communicate about it. How can a documentary express social concern while at the same time recognize its own shortcomings and blind spots? How can we define a shared sense of realism in a hyper-individual and confusing era of post-truth and fake news, in which there is no longer a consensus about what is real, half-truth, fiction, or entertainment?
Guided by photographer, artist and doctoral researcher Max Pinckers, participants will expand their documentary projects by developing their own critical documentary strategies. This 6-month program aims to introduce participants to documentary photography as a mode for critical questioning, social engagement, ethical sensibility and self-reflexivity. This course departs from documentary’s inherent ‘twofoldness’ as both subjective and objective, critical and poetic, collaborative and idiosyncratic, self-reflexive and emotional, philosophical and intuitive, engaged and analytical.
The program will be conducted online over the course of 6 months. 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.
How it works
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Group Classes
OpenDuring 4 online 4-hour group classes, Max Pinckers will share his experience and working methods related to contemporary photography, guiding you in developing your project and introducing you to the theoretical frameworks of critical documentary practice.
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One-to-one Mentoring
OpenWith 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.
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Studio Visits
OpenTo 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. More info below.
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Final meeting + work exhibited
OpenAt 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.
Head professor
Max Pinckers
Max Pinckers (b.1988, BE) is an artist based in Brussels, Belgium. His oeuvre explores visual strategies in documentary photography. Not believing in the possibility of sheer objectivity or neutrality, Pinckers advocates a manifest subjective approach, which is made visible through the explicit use of theatrical lighting, stage directions or extras. Extensive research and diligent technical preparation are combined with improvisation to obtain lively, unexpected, critical, simultaneously poetic and documentary images. His work takes shape as self-published artist books and exhibition installations such as The Fourth Wall (2012), Will They Sing Like Raindrops or Leave Me Thirsty (2014), Margins of Excess (2018) and State of Emergency (2024). Pinckers is a Doctor in the Arts and a guest lecturer at the School of Arts/KASK in Ghent. He has received multiple international awards, such as the Edward Steichen Award Luxembourg 2015 and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2018. In 2015 he founded the independent publishing house Lyre Press and The School of Speculative Documentary in 2017. Pinckers is represented by Gallery Sofie Van de Velde in Antwerp and Tristan Lund in London.
Timeline
Studio visits
Why participate?
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Acquire practical skills
OpenThis program grants you first-hand experience from an international artist like Max Pinckers, enhancing your theoretical and practical approach to documentary.
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Exhibit your project
OpenAt 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 2022.
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Expand your network
OpenEngage 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.
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Flexible program
OpenDuring 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.
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Competitive price
OpenEnjoy 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.
