Ties That Bind—Fictions, Orthodoxies and Interdependencies

Fotogalleriet and FUTURES are pleased to announce the launch of the new publication Ties That Bind — Fictions, Orthodoxies and Interdependencies. Through new and translated fiction, poetry, essays and commissioned visual essays, Ties That Bind is an anthology that rethinks attachment and social power relations within family, state, friendship, identities and communities through passion, intoxication, exhaustion, desire, devotion, aid and intimacy in private and public spheres. 

An online launch will take place on November 21, 2024, 3–3:45pm CET. Zoom link

Using a decentralised editorial method based on distributed agency, young artists in the FUTURES photography network were invited to suggest untranslated poetry and prose in any language that responded to these overarching questions of codependency and reciprocity. A final selection was then edited by former director of Fotogalleriet Antonio Cataldo and artist and FUTURES nominee Nikhil Vettukattil, combined with six new photographic commissions by FUTURES artists.

“Reciprocity, this book intends to point out, also speaks about toxic relations and the need to rethink the world and its inherent unconscious (as well as undisguised) subordinations if we want to be part of determining structural change. With this volume, our aim is to show the full spectrum of feelings, including perhaps the most “unruly” ones, that arise from imaginative—and unconscious—processes that are not always directed by logic and rationality. Rather, such effects are guided by principles like association, distraction, and wandering—getting lost in the page, the images, the words. We wanted to restore power to involuntary processes guided by conversations that do not always need to lead to an elsewhere other than critical reflection. We looked at forms of exchange, translation, and sharing as ways of gathering that are often connected to discourse as well as physical encounter. We wanted to see if it was possible to maintain or resemble such processes on the page.”—Antonio Cataldo

“The play between fictive and real that is always at the heart of photography is also at work in the many texts shared here, often united by the personal modes of address, intimations of familiarity or proximity, voyeurism and embodiment always at the edge of interiority and the performance of intersubjective selves. [...] What other forms of interconnectedness and companionship are possible if queer or other marginalised and resistant communities are centred, as both the model and inspiration for wider social relations? What kinds of kinship are everywhere practised by chosen family, in diasporas and through artistic invention; In what ways do they undo the toxicities and properties of the relations that we otherwise inherit? What are the issues specific to other forms of coexistence that need more attention?”—Nikhil Vettukattil

The resulting anthology contains twenty-two unique contributions from Europe and beyond that challenge, untie, or move beyond conventional bonds of family, partnership and community. The artists were entrusted to select texts and produce images of significance in their personal and social contexts. It is this indirect approach that we felt would produce a more complex portrait of what is at stake and of concern to contemporary practitioners today, situating photography as itself a form of language, and writing as an art of image-making. We are proud to share with you many authors and texts in English for the first time:

–Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen selected by Carolina Tardin.
–Rihards Bargais translated by Ieva Lešinska and chosen by Konstantin Zhukov.
–Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati selected and translated by Ilavenil Vasuky Jayapalan.
–Lene Berg translated by Olivia Lasky.
–Oles Berdnyk selected by Lesia Vasylchenko and translated by Yuri Tkacz.
–Mahmoud Darwish selected by Raisan Hameed.
–Ádám Fekete selected by Máté Bartha.
–Fayyaz Hashmi and Baghat Singh translated by Dee S. Sharma.
–Bjørn Hatterud translated by Diane Oatley.
–Ghassan Kanafani selected by Thana Faroq and translated by Suneela Mubayi.
–Emilia Petrakis selected by Rebecca Topakian and translated by Jackqueline Frost.
–Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida translated by Mariana Machado.
–Lope de Vega translated by and with a text by Pablo Lerma.
–Li Yinhe selected by Yao Yuan and translated by Tina Guo.

Photographic essays by: Raisan Hameed, Luna Mahoux, Peter Pflüger, Julie Poly, Balázs Szigligeti, Yao Yuan

Design by Hans Gremmen.

Ties That Bind is also a touring exhibition of the same name, which recently opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art – Zagreb, and will now travel to Fotograf Magazine, Prague, and The Bienal Fotografia do Porto. Featuring seven young European photographers: Ihar Hancharuk, Sasha Chaika, Angyvir Padilla, Jan Durina, Dev Dhunsi, Luna Mahoux, Sheung Yiu, and Donja Nasseri. The exhibition was curated by Organ Vida Festival, Fotograf Magazine and The Bienal Fotografia do Porto.

Fotogalleriet
The Fotogalleriet foundation is the longest-operating institution in the Nordic countries and the only kunsthalle in Norway focusing on art photography. The foundation is concerned with problematising photographic art and visual culture production and critically contributing to discourses around current image production. At the core of its mandate, the foundation works for a more balanced representation in the art field and society through collaboration with central, socially engaged organisations. Throughout the institution’s history, Fotogalleriet has actively aimed to be a stepping stone for young artists and a platform for mediating new ideas from the international and local fields. The institution focuses on new and radical productions within and outside its main premises in Møllergata 34 in Oslo, challenging existing ideas of art and its social responsibility.

FUTURES is a European Photography Platform that brings together the global photography community to support and nurture the professional development of emerging artists worldwide. Since 2017, FUTURES has aimed to add long-term impact and value by empowering contemporary photographers through initiatives that promote their work and grant them access to an extensive network of professionals, markets, and audiences. FUTURES fosters new and dynamic ways to strengthen the essential relationship between artists and the industry, creating an ecosystem that encourages innovation, professionalization, exchange and imagination. 

FUTURES Hub in Amsterdam is our headquarters. This dynamic space functions as an office, residency, and exhibition venue, where young creators can experiment with their artistic practices and connect with both local and international audiences.

FUTURES operates as a growing international network of influential photography organizations, uniting a wealth of resources, expertise, and talent programs. Each year, these organizations nominate a group of emerging artists to join the platform and co-host a series of events that enhance the artists' capacity, mobility, and visibility. At the same time, the platform seeks to showcase innovative photographic approaches by celebrating a diversity of stories, encouraging emerging artists to present their most challenging work, and offering insights into their world and latest projects.

FUTURES Members
The platform currently draws from and collaborates with a consortium of art institutions across Europe including: CAMERA - Centro Italiano per la Fotografia (IT), Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie (FR), Copenhagen Photo Festival (DK), Triennial of Photography Hamburg (DE), Der Greif (DE), FOMU (BE), FOTODOK (NL), Fotofestiwal Lodz (PL), Fotogalleriet (NO), Fotograf Magazine (CZ), Organ Vida (HR), ISSP (LV), PhotoIreland (IE), Photo Romania Festival (RO), Bienal Fotografia do Porto (PT), Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (HU), Void (GR), Photoforum Pasquart (CH), Photo Elysée (CH), and Centre de la photographie Genève (CH), Tblisi Photo Festival (GE), Odessa Photo Days (UA) and a research member, Eurokleis s.r.l. (IT)

FUTURES is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.