Foam Talent 2020 the Digital Experience
Foam presents an all-access online exhibition Foam Talent 2020 celebrating the work by young visual artists. To view the exhibition visit talent.foam.org
The exhibition Foam Talent | Digital is a new multi-media platform that showcases artist projects supported by audio, video and effects.
Each year, Foam invites photographers to submit their portfolios via the Talent Call, an international search for exceptionally talented photographers under the age of 35. Selected photographers gain international exposure and recognition within the photography industry through a number of career-building opportunities offered by Foam, including publication in Foam Magazine, participation in a travelling group exhibition and the opportunity for their work to be added to the prestigious Art Collection Deutsche Börse of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in Frankfurt.
EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY TALENT
19 artists were selected as Foam Talents 2020:
Aàdesokan (Nigeria), Sofia Borges (Brazil), Adji Dieye (Senegal/Italy), Rahima Gambo (Nigeria), Karla Hiraldo Voleau (France/Dominican Republic), Benoît Jeannet (Switzerland), Luther Konadu (Canada/Ghana), Matthew Leifheit (United States), Douglas Mandry (Switzerland), Philip Montgomery (United States), Camillo Pasquarelli (Italy), Simone Sapienza (Italy), Micha Serraf (Zimbabwe/South Africa), Hashem Shakeri (Iran), Gao Shang (China), Kamonlak Sukchai (Thailand), Guanyu Xu (China/United States), Yorgos Yatromanolakis (Greece), Alba Zari (Italy/Thailand).
The rebirth of Red Lotus, from the series Red Lotus, 2019 © Kamonlak Sukchai, courtesy of the artist.
Like with many other events this year, things had to be done differently - and most people turned to online exhibitions to make sure art remained accessible. One of Foam’s flagship projects, Foam Talent 2020, was unable to travel internationally to planned locations such as London and Paris. In order to give the 2020 Talents a platform with the same respect as other years, Foam Talent | Digital was born.
Using a digital medium is quite fitting for young artists, as we rely on the internet to make our new connections and impressions. Foam has created a digital exhibition, which is an addition to the existing Talent programme consisting of the annual Talent Issue of Foam Magazine and the Foam Talent exhibition which tours around the world. The digital exhibition showcases extended portfolio work, including video artwork, accompanying soundscapes or music, audio voice-overs and video interviews. The exhibition is free to access with no barriers of entry.
My Thoughts on Foam Talent | Digital, the Online Exhibition
The vibrant digital experience is quite fitting for the Foam Talent young visual artists, the exhibition being unique for each artist that is featured as you scroll through the pages. What I found rather interesting was that there was no ‘starting point’ on this exhibition, if you were to refresh the page you would be met with a different artist at the beginning.
Scrolling through the selection was, in my opinion, difficult and clunky. The direction of your scrolling would flip when viewing more of one artist’s work, which I found disrupted the flow of the gallery. One shouldn’t have to think about how to navigate a gallery - simply absorb the art pieces.
That being said, it is a new and innovative way of presenting artwork and found it extremely engaging as the webpages changed for each visual artist.
Example of the webpage scrolling through the visual artists.
Adji Dieye’s bright and wonderful Maggic Cube project works well in a digital exhibition.
One of my personal favourites was Kamonlak Sukchai’s project, the background complimenting their colour theory in their pieces.
After each mini gallery Foam asks for your support, and while I appreciate this - I believe the artist’s details should also be linked so the public can find more of their work online.
When viewing an enlarged image I was rather disappointed with the compression you could see when taking a closer look. I understand that the webpage is having to work with a lot of data, but images should be top priority to retain as much detail as possible!
Some artists, such as Yorgos, used the audio to play music and sounds to set the ambiance of their work. I found this to help me understand their work much more than just a voice. It also helped me set a pace on viewing each art piece.
Benoît’s gallery was also another eye catching piece, their first page contained layering images which work well on a digital gallery.
Overall I really enjoyed the digital exhibition by Foam, and would like to see more digital experiences such as this one. To see more of their digital exhibitions, click here.