The edition 2022 is unique for the Rotterdam Photo. Due to several postponements and cancellations due to the COVID-19 spread, for the first time, the festival has two themes at the same time – PLANET HUMAN X THE HUMAN BLUEPRINT.
Under the umbrella of these two themes, more than 100 photographers from all over the globe will show their projects this May. All photographers from Rotterdam Photo 2021 edition ( PLANET HUMAN theme) and photographers from Rotterdam Photo 2022 edition (THE HUMAN BLUEPRINT theme) will become part of the new Rotterdam Photo 2022 XL edition.
Following last year’s topic PLANET HUMAN, we continue to ask the same questions: Who are we, as human beings, besides the fact that we exist? What do we leave behind? How do we express ourselves? What is the role of our imperfections, the dark parts of our collective existence? Do they make us human?
Today, more than ever, the notion of being human is undergoing evolution. And this year, we invited professional and amateur photographers to join us and think about THE HUMAN BLUEPRINT that we, humans, leave after us.
Our species are profoundly transforming the Earth. The PLANET HUMAN is no longer metaphorical. And 2020 was not only the year of global pandemic, but the year when human-made mass overtook that of all the living things in the world. And if we continue this great acceleration it will be visible in sediments and rocks millions of years into the future. So we ask which Blueprint do we leave behind? How can we rethink our relationship with the rest of the non-human environment around us? And when will we stop perceiving the planet space as exclusively human, an anthropocentric space?
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
DATES: 18-22 MAY 2022
LOCATION: WILLEMSPLEIN, ROTTERDAM (NL)
https://www.rotterdamphoto.eu
Rotterdam Photo is an annual photo fair with a festival flair. The event celebrates the spectrum of contemporary photography in all its diversity. Being part of the Rotterdam Art Week 2022, the event yearly attracts around 10.000 visitors, among whom art lovers, collectors, gallerists, as well as international art press professionals from different parts of the globe. We will transform a Willemsplein location in the centre of Rotterdam into a street wise photography village and hub for photography fans, populated by 100+ shipping containers repurposed into exhibition spaces. The event will take place from 18th to 22th May 2022.
In addition to the exhibitions, Rotterdam Photo organizes talks, workshops, and a fringe program with music and digital installations throughout the city. The festival feeling is created thanks to various exhibitions and leisure activities around for all participants. Street vendors, cafes, and restaurants on the festival’s location offer great food and delicious drinks – the public and participants can enjoy the events’ atmosphere, celebrating photography together with us.
SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHERS
From a broad range of submissions, the commission selected over 100 photographers to exhibit their work, based on the themes PLANET HUMAN and THE HUMAN BLUEPRINT.
Both national and international selection reveals the intriguing works of photographers like Roderik van Nispen, Dai Asano and Chris Lee. These selected photographers will display their work alongside renowned photographers such as Reiner Riedler, who will be presenting images from his project Pleasure Gardens. The exhibitions will be installed on both the inside and outside of the shipping containers this February in Rotterdam (NL).
