Alumni Outcomes and Progress After Completing the PhMuseum Masterclasses Program
-
Published4 Jun 2025
-
Author
With the 2025/26 applications open until this Thursday 5 June, we reconnected with past editions alumni to hear how their practice grew across exhibitions, publications, and more.
The PhMuseum Online Masterclasses provide a meaningful platform for photographers and visual artists to refine their skills, explore new perspectives, and cultivate a supportive, international community of both peers and mentors. Since the start of the program in 2020, participants have succeeded in disseminating and establishing the bodies of work developed during the Masterclasses. We touched base to hear about their paths, and how the program helped them take choices and sharpen their artistic focus.
“More than anything, FOLIO solidified my belief in the photobook as a space where photography can exist on its own terms, unfolding in ways that are intimate, layered, and enduring” – Marisol Mendez, FOLIO 2020/21
Now in its 6th edition, FOLIO Masterclass on Photobook Making has seen numerous projects evolve from photobook dummies into published works, shortlisted entries, and exhibited pieces. Among these, Luca Iovino's The Name We Hold (FOLIO 2021/22) has been published by Disko Bay. Additionally, independent publisher Witty Books has released works by several FOLIO authors, including Allan Salas, Uta Genilke, Giulia Vanelli, Riccardo Svelto (with La Cattedrale selected as Best Book 2021 by ICA Milano's Books & Others, and shortlisted for the PHotoEspaña Book Award 2022), and Andrés Mario de Varona, whose work Our Own Roof was recently exhibited at the Kyoto National Museum in Japan.
FOLIO 2020/21 Alumni Marisol Mendez says: “FOLIO was a pivotal moment in my development as a photographer. It gave me the tools and perspective to think about my work beyond individual images to understand sequencing, rhythm, and the narrative weight of form. Before the masterclass, I approached storytelling instinctively, but through that experience, I learned how to refine my intuition, to make conscious choices that strengthened my visual language.” Her project Madre, which delves into the whitewashed and colonial representation of women in Bolivia, has since been published by Setanta Books and earned her a selection for Foam Talent 2024-2025.
Alvin Ng's Ovid's Fasti (FOLIO 2023/24) was shortlisted for the Singapore International Photography Festival 2024, while Marcel Top (FOLIO 2021/22) had his project Sara Hodges shortlisted for CHARTA. Rosa Lacavalla's Sana Sana (FOLIO 2022/23) was a finalist for the Star Photobook Dummy Award, BUP Book Award, CHARTA, and APhF Dummy Award feat. Witty Books. Francesca Bergamini's Beauty Is A Currency (FOLIO 2022/23) and Ellen Smeets' Reconstructions As Fundamental Methods (FOLIO 2022/23) were shortlisted for the Dummy Award 2024, while the Dummy Award 2025 recognized Une Fable Égyptienne by Sandra Guldemann Duchatellier and Clara Simas' Meu Pai Morreu Três Vezes (FOLIO 2023/24). Simas' photobook will soon be published with Propágulo, an autonomous institution dedicated to implementing and disseminating artistic production since 2017.
“CURAE allowed me to understand curating as a careful work of translation in a given space, and for a given audience.” – Francesco Pennacchio, CURAE 2023/24
The CURAE Masterclass on Curatorial Practice is all about guiding aspiring curators in bringing artistic visions to life. Francesco Pennacchio, who participated in CURAE 2023/24, perfectly articulated the essence of this process. "During the Masterclass I developed a method to adapt my own work with a detached and less emotional gaze, in function of the space and audience it will have access to.” He recently exhibited Nontiscordardimé / Forget-me-not, exploring memory, loss, and rebirth through reconstructed childhood memories, in a duo show with Francisco Macfarlane, along with a collaboration between the Experimental Photo Festival and Grenze Arsenali Fotografici. His masterclass curatorial project, Family Trip, which broadens family representation, was also screened in the same show. Furthermore, his series Unlike Flowers has been selected as a recipient of the Liquida Grants and will be developed into a photobook to be published by Swiss publishing house Artphilein Editions in the coming months.
Sara Poli also attended CURAE 2023/24. Today she is shaping the Forno Project, a new curatorial hub in Livorno, Italy. Housed within the Sala del Forno at Fortezza Nuova and serving as a contemporary extension of Galleria Fidanda, this dynamic venue will host exhibitions, talks, and performances, offering artists and cultural professionals a vital platform to introduce fresh artistic perspectives to the city. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration and mentorship in her field: “In a layered role like that of a curator, it's essential to have support and discussion with colleagues. The CURAE masterclass with Erik was fundamental for my growth and for genuine exchange, like a community of colleagues who spark ideas and research, fueling our creativity. Moreover, Erik's presence was useful for stimulating and completely challenging our curatorial research”. She added: "after the Masterclass, I understood that research, writing, and engaging with artists would be my path.”
A participant in the same edition, Cole Ndelu is now an assistant curator at Gallery MOMO in Johannesburg, South Africa. Founded by Monna Mokoena, the gallery specializes in showcasing African art and art from the diaspora. Here, Cole is involved in exhibition conceptualization, artist research, curatorial strategy, art collection management, and marketing. Her responsibilities also include practical aspects like artwork transportation and installation. She has contributed to four exhibitions and one art fair, and is currently preparing for Expo Chicago.
“CRITICAE was very beneficial to finalizing my project Transient Ties, as it pushed me to experiment, and gave me the confidence to create my first short film." – Michaela Nagyidaiová, CRITICAE 2022/23
The CRITICAE Masterclass on Documentary Photography, now in its 5th edition, is all about helping participants broaden their research methods and develop their documentary work with a critical and deeply personal approach. Transient Ties by Michaela Nagyidaiová, a participant in CRITICAE 2022/23, was since then selected for various contexts, including a solo exhibition curated by Tereza Bonaventurová and Martin Fojtek at Galerie Fotografic in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2024, featuring one room with photographs, archival material, and collected items about her grandmother’s migration story, while a second room showcased her short film.
After CRITICAE 2023/24, Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer's Yo Bebo Leche Y Agua will be brought to fruition by the Corporación Privada para el Desarrollo de Aysén, thanks to public funding from FONDART Regional 2025 of the Ministry of Culture, Art and Heritage. This initiative, resulting in a print run of 500 books published by Chilean photobook publisher FLUQ, aims to highlight the crucial role of water for communities and the local ecosystem. The project encompasses regional and national presentations, free distribution to libraries and educational institutions with a special focus on the Aysén region, and will extend its audience with cyanotype workshops and talks, ensuring broad dissemination in both Europe and Chile.
Additionally, Emilio Nasser's Shipwreck Of Dreams from CRITICAE 2021/22 was exhibited at Photoforum Pasquart in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, and Holyday by D. M. Terblanche (CRITICAE 2022/23) was displayed at Soma - Plataforma Cultural during Encontros da Imagem 2024 in Braga, Portugal, after receiving the Emergentes prize the previous year. In the same festival edition, Oana Nechifor (CRITICAE 2021/22) was selected as a Prize Recipient for the Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award 2024 with her work Birds Of Care.
“Before the masterclass, I was already exploring the fusion of photography and film within an installation. Now, my approach has become more sculptural, allowing a multidisciplinary perspective to shape my projects.” – Tara Fallaux, MEDIAE 2023/24.
The MEDIAE Masterclass on Transmedia Storytelling encourages artists to push the boundaries of their chosen medium. “The Masterclass inspired me to think beyond the 2D frame of a photograph or film screen, which influenced I'm Sorry, the (film)installation I created in China. In this work, the projection on black fabric extended into a black plastic sculpture on the floor, making the piece more three-dimensional and physically present.” Tara’s film installation, I'm Sorry, was featured in an exhibition at the Powerlong Art Centre in Xiamen, China, in early 2025. The piece captures a feeling of being in between – between movement and stillness, connection and distance – as if time and space have become desynchronized, creating a sense of being suspended in another dimension. For this occasion, Tara was invited to give a lecture at ICI Xiamen University, with support from Mondriaanfonds and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Guangzhou.
Rosa Lacavalla, another MEDIAE 2023/24 participant, has seen her project La Festa Dell'Equatore reach a wider audience, employing a transmedia narrative format and combining various media, including photography, video, audio recordings, found footage, and archive. In recent months, her work has been selected in international contexts, leading to exhibitions at GFI - Giovane Fotografia Italiana during Fotografia Europea in Reggio Emilia, Italy, a solo show within Getxophoto in Getxo, Basque Country, Spain, and an upcoming art residency in Turkey.
These stories are just some of the many that are unfolding over the years. The progress in the participants' practice – whether it's securing exhibitions, publishing their work, or simply discovering a renewed sense of artistic direction – truly underscore dedication, talent, and how the PhMuseum Masterclasses Program could result as a valuable platform for career's development. We are proud of the work done over the years together with the program's head professors, and warmly encourage you to cultivate your skills and visions as part of our international community.
--------------
The Online Masterclasses are designed to support participants in enhancing their skills and building a sustainable, enduring creative practice. Each course is tailored for contemporary photographers, artists, curators, and storytellers who want to fine-tune particular elements of their visual language and expand their work within an inspiring and dynamic environment. Check out which program suits you best at phmuseum.com/masterclasses
--------------
Final deadline and participation fee
Before 5 June – If you apply by this date, you can join the program by paying the Regular Fee of €2,200. Since applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis, early submissions receive priority for seat allocation.
If you are offered a place, PhMuseum is happy to write you a supporting letter when you try to secure any external funding opportunities. In previous editions of our masterclasses program, the candidates' fees were covered thanks to the generous contribution of the IWMF Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, Mondriaan Fonds, Arts Council Malta, and other programs. Read our guide to 2025 Education Funding for Visual Artists about opportunities that can help you secure funding.
