metropolis - Noorderlicht

Metropolis
C I T Y
L I F E
P R E S S
I N
T H E
U R B A N
A G E
R E L E A S E
photos from left to right: above > Ugnius Gelguda | Jodi Bieber | Manal Al Dowayan | Dana Popa | Gregory Buchakjian
centre > Yves Marchant & Romain Meffre | Niels Stomps | Munem Wasif | Kai Uwe Gundlach
below > Ashley Gilbertson | Farwell | Stephen Dupont | Martin Adolfsson | Christoph Gielen | Gina LaVay
about Noorderlicht
In 2011 the Noorderlicht Photography Foundation is organising its widely praised International Photo Festival
for the eighteenth time. This festival is counted as one of the top five among the best photo festivals in
the world. But Noorderlicht is more than its festival. Since 1980 Noorderlicht has been a many-sided and
innovative international stage for photography, particularly in documentary genres. In its own individual
manner, in this socially engaged content Noorderlicht has sought to reveal the visual beauty of photography.
To this end it organises not only the annual photo festival, but also numerous exhibitions in its own photo
gallery. In addition, Noorderlicht arranges photography commissions and promotes a deeper appreciation of
photography by organising discussions, lectures and master classes. Noorderlicht operates with a world-wide
perspective, but at the same time is strongly rooted in the North Netherlands.
NOORDERLICHT
PHOTO FESTIVAL
PHOTOGALLERY
PROJECTS
PUBLISHER
Akerkhof 12
9711 JB Groningen NL
info@noorderlicht.com
www.noorderlicht.com
+31[0]50 318 22 27
international
photo festival
groningen
11 September through 9 October 2011
www.noorderlicht.com
photographers metropolis [selection]
Abir Abdullah | Evan Abramson | Martin Adolfsson | Anas Al-Shaikh | Mehraneh Atashi | Pablo Balbontín & Luca Marinelli |
Giorgio Barrera | Matteo Bastianelli | Nina Berman | Peter Bialobrzeski | Jodi Bieber | Julio Bittencourt | Kendrick Brinson |
Giacomo Brunelli | Gregory Buchakjian | Estan Cabigas | Alejandro Cartagena | Fracilins Castilho Leal | Carlos Cazalis |
Tiane Doan na Champassak | Rasel Chowdhury | Xavier Comas | Carole Condé & Karl Beveridge | Alain Delorme |
Manal Al Dowayan | Stephen Dupont | Brad Farwell | Andreas Gefeller | Ugnius Gelguda | Reinier Gerritsen | Christoph Gielen |
Ashley Gilbertson | Paul Gofferjé | Nadja Groux | Kai Uwe Gundlach | Pawel Jaszczuk | Jian Jiang | Gabriel Jones | Nadav Kander |
Yannis Karpouzis | Gareth Kingdon | Thomas Kneubühler | Katrin Koenning | Laura Konttinen | Marcus Koppen | Maros Krivy |
Ikuru Kuwajima | Gina LeVay | Sebastian Liste | Martin Luijendijk | Sayed Asif Mahmud | Yves Marchant & Romain Meffre |
Massimo Mastrorillo | Andreas Meichsner | Cecile Mella | Jean-Marc Meunier | Ivan Mikhaylov | Guillaume Millet |
Andreas Müller-Pohle | Michael Najjar | Matthew Niederhauser | Simon Norfolk | Sherman Ong | Louie Palu | Max Pam |
Mathieu Pernot | Ohm Phanphiroj | Olivier Pin-Fat | Dana Popa | Selva Prakash | Martin Roemers | Edith Roux |
Carlos Sanchez & Jason Sanchez | Hans-Christian Schink | Darren Soh | Elian Somers | Will Steacy | Niels Stomps |
Franky Verkickt | Munem Wasif | Shen Wei | Hans Wilschut | Michael Wolf | Devin Yalkin | Pablo Ziccarello | Kim Zwarts |
The 18th Noorderlicht International Photo Festival in Groningen
11 September through 9 October 2011
main exhibition
metropolis | city life in the urban age
is a novel in six chapters. These tell the exciting,
Since the beginning of the 21st century, more than half of the world’s population
1 Astonished - Verwonderd
live in urban areas. In two successive exhibitions Noorderlicht is examining the
2 Astray - Verdwaald
consequences of this development for both the countryside and the city.
3 Home - Thuis
After Land – Country Life in the Urban Age in 2010, from 11 September through 9
4 Deficient - Lacune
October 2011 the photo festival Metropolis – City Life in the Urban Age will be seen
5 Machinery - Raderwerk
in Groningen. This multifaceted and innovative exhibition will provide insight into a
6 Assembly - Assemblage
shocking, wonderful and overpowering story of
City Life in the Urban Age.
process that touches everyone, directly or indirectly.
Der Aa-kerk | A-Kerkhof 2
“The” city doesn’t exist. Although cities are at the heart of modern society – certainly now that
Minerva Academie Praedinius | Praediniussingel 59
3.3 billion people are packed onto 3 percent of the earth’s surface – they are not all exactly
Old Post Office | Munnekeholm 1
the same in nature. The city is an feverish economic, cultural and social nerve centre; it is the
Noorderlicht Fotogalerie | Akerkhof 12
place where the dreams of architects and urban planners come to life or collide with recalcitrant
Het Filiaal | Akerkhof 10 (not yet confirmed)
reality. Cities grow wildly, sometimes anarchically, and swallow up everything in the vicinity. They
oppressive massiveness, people are still able to carve out a small space for themselves and find
satellite programme
their own fulfilment. The city is a place that offers opportunities and dashes hopes, where you
Photo exhibitions at more than 40 locations in the
can be seen everywhere and at all times but where you can equally well be completely alone.
city and province of Groningen. Their content is
suck in people who – successfully, or in vain – are in search of a better life. In the midst of an
assembled by the galleries themselves.
From Michael Wolf’s traumatised faces in the Tokyo subway to Michael Najjar’s sterile futuristic
urban landscapes, on the basis of work by more than eighty photographers from The Nether-
Note for editors: For more information, visual materials and
lands and other countries, in Metropolis Noorderlicht exposes the many sides of the city. To do
requests you can contact Charissa Caron:
this, Noorderlicht breaks new ground, both in terms of content and design. The six ‘chapters’
charissa@noorderlicht.com or +31 50 318 22 27
and the unusual arrangement in the main locations offer space to the city, and bring across
Noorderlicht’s view of the city in an insightful and perceptive manner.
Metropolis is a city of images, an exhibition about the soul of urban society.
Photos: cover Michael Wolf
<< Gareth Kingdon | Hans Wilschut | Cecile Mella | Pablo Ziccarello
>> Abir Abdullah | Carlos & Jason Sanchez