Bildhalle presents work by Bastiaan Woudt and Pieter Henket at Photofairs NY

Fri, Sep 8 - Sun, Sep 10  2023

Bildhalle Zurich + Amsterdam at Photofairs NY - New York Consulate Region

Bildhalle (Zurich + Amsterdam) presents Pieter Henket / Bastiaan Woudt / Albarrán Cabrera at the inaugural Photofairs NY.

Bildhalle is pleased to participate in the inaugural Photofairs NY fair, which is held adjacent to The Armory Show at the Javits Center in New York. Open to the public from September 8-10, 2021, with a VIP preview on September 7 (invite only).

About Bastiaan Woudt

Bastiaan Woudt has enjoyed a meteoric rise to success within the world of contemporary photography. After starting his own photography practice from scratch a mere five years ago, with no experience or formal training, he has developed into a photographer with his own distinct signature style – abstract yet sharp, with a strong focus on detail. As a student of the history of photography, learnt through devouring photobooks and visiting museums and fairs, Bastiaan Woudt has a strong preference for classic subjects, such as portraits and nudes, and we see references to illustrious periods from photography throughout his work, such as Surrealism and both the fashion and documentary photography of the 1960s and 70s. But through a sophisticated use of both camera and post-production techniques, which he has taught himself by heavily experimenting with both, he gives his own graphic and wholly contemporary twist to the classical.

Bastiaan Woudt‘s work was exhibited in museums, at fairs and in galleries worldwide. In 2014 he was chosen as New Dutch Photography Talent, in 2016 he was named one of the biggest talents working today by the prestigious magazine The British Journal of Photography, furthering his position as a talent on the rise. In 2017 he won the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation Award. In 2019, his extensive monograph «Hidden» was published which he will sign during the opening at Bildhalle.

“My inspiration comes from many forms of art, but in particular, the old masters of photography like Irving Penn, Richard
Avedon, Man Ray, Bill Brandt, all amazing minds. They nailed what it takes to make an interesting image: Dynamics, movement,
imperfection, feeling. Besides photography, there are many more ways I get inspired. Paintings, the way the Dutch
masters saw the light is extraordinary. I believe that in art photography, you have to create a little dream world: a unique
insight into the photographer’s mind. Black and white help to differentiate from reality. I find that color is too distracting.”
—Bastiaan Woudt

It‘s been a mere ten years since Bastiaan Woudt (*1987, NL) picked up a camera and found his passion. He replaced formal education with experimentation, photography books and museums. In no time, he was winning international prizes and showcased his work in exclusive galleries. His work has been exhibited widely at international fairs and museums such as: Paris Photo, AIPAD New York, Photo London, Photo Shanghai and Fotografiska.

2021 marked the 10-year anniversary of Bastiaan Woudt as art photographer. In the past decade his career has known a meteoric rise, leaving an undeniable mark on the world of contemporary art photography. From emotive portraits to mystic landscape photography, he is celebrated for capturing monochrome minimalism at its finest. With charcoal tones and elegant compositions, his photography feels like stepping into a modern painting. Light and shadow dance elegantly. You‘ll find a hint of surrealism as the sober shades ask you to see only the essence and awakens every detail. His work is minimalistic yet moves, playing with the beauty of imperfection — again, inspired by 50s, 60s and 70s photography. He honours this photography while exploring how modern in-camera methods and post-production can elevate the style of today.

About Pieter Henket

Pieter Henket is a Dutch photographer living and working in New York City. Born into a family of artists, Henket’s early fascination with film and photography was bolstered when he moved there in 1998 to enroll in a three-month documentary filmmaking course at New York University. Soon thereafter he began interning for the director Joel Schumacher, where Henket learned staging and production. Time spent experimenting in the studio and doing portraits of friends and strangers in equal measure resulted in editorial work for magazines such as Esquire. His photograph of Lady Gaga was used for the album cover of “The Fame” (2008), which sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The photograph was included in the exhibition American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 2010. In 2012, he photographed the Carnaval de Rio, a Brazilian carnival taking place every year in San Luis, a city in the mountains of Argentina. The work, Stars to the Sun, resulted in a book and several exhibitions, which led to a relationship with the environmental activist group Tales of Us.

Henket is known for a photographic style that takes inspiration from the 17th century Dutch Golden Age of painting. His notable work also includes photographing Congolese acting out their mythologies in the Congo rainforest for the photo series and book Congo Tales, published by Random House in 2018. His portraits of the people who call the Congo rainforest home made world news, and was featured on the front page of the New York Times Arts section, the front page of the New York Times International Edition, and on PBS News Hour, National Public Radio, Public Radio International, BBC Radio, and dozens of other world media outlets. His other published books include The Way I See It (Uitgeverij De Kunst, 2013) and Stars to the Sun (Lannoo Publishers/Racine, 2014).

Pieter’s photography has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Museum de Fundatie in The Netherlands; and the Museum Barberini in Germany. His work has been included in numerous private
and museum collections around the world, including the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Pieter is currently at work producing his new photo series and book, Birds of Mexico.

About Bildhalle (Zurich + Amsterdam)

Bildhalle was founded in 2013 by Mirjam Cavegn in Zurich. Since its foundation, it has quickly become one of the most respected galleries for photography in Switzerland, acting within the long-standing Swiss tradition of photography and its promotion as an artistic medium. Bildhalle represents outstanding artists in traditional and contemporary photography.

In 2020, Bildhalle opened a gallery space in Amsterdam and a year later, sealed this bold leap by launching a second location in the Dutch capital, thus consolidating its strong position in the Dutch and European markets. In Amsterdam, Bildhalle presents a well-curated selection of Dutch and international artists.

In the interplay between selected established photographers of the twentieth century and those of a younger generation who are expanding the medium, Bildhalle’s ambitious gallery program aims to exert a positive influence on the reception and recognition of artistic photography through solo and group exhibitions, participation in international art fairs and the publication of high quality photobooks.

“Like no other medium, photography has the power to combine memories and wishes. It is personal and historical; it tells stories both modest and meaningful. By drawing attention to ‘the other’, it confronts us with our own lives. Classic photography is a window to the past, to a world that is still part of our cultural heritage. We are invited to mirror the present in the past. Contemporary photography has emancipated itself from the real world and enchants us with soft and savage tones. It is like music that spirits us into a world in which everything seems possible.” —Mirjam Cavegn, founder and owner

About Photofairs NY

Photofairs New York is a new contemporary art fair dedicated to photo-based works, digital art and new media. Taking place at the Javits Center, Manhattan’s West Side, the Fair will present a state-of-the-art view of visual culture.

The Fair’s strong curatorial approach will create a new platform where photography and new technologies intersect. It will provide a dedicated space to explore new trends in the contemporary art market from fine art photo-based works to experimental filmmaking, VR and NFTs.

Photofairs New York will connect collectors and visitors with international galleries and boundary-pushing artists inviting discourse and interaction. New York’s enthusiasm for visual culture is seen through its strong and longstanding gallery scene, with more galleries representing photographers in the city than anywhere else in the world. A place for cultural enrichment, New York has made an impressive contribution to the medium’s development through its public collections and museum holdings being some of the finest in the world. The United States holds the largest global market for photography and New York is home to more than half of the world’s high-end collectors and patrons of photography, making the city the ideal location for a contemporary fair championing photo-based works and digital art.

Photofairs New York will enhance the city’s already rich cultural offering in September and provide a strong draw for visitors and collectors. Aiming to appeal to established collectors and a new, fast-growing, generation of buyers, the Fair will be accompanied by an extensive VIP program including exclusive events, curator-led tours and private studio visits. The Fair will also hold a vibrant public program looking to cultivate and celebrate the ever-changing dynamic of today’s visual culture.

The inaugural edition of Photofairs New York will take place September 8-10, 2023 (VIP Preview Day September 7, 2023).