AMSTERDAM.- Foam presents Foam Talent 2026. A group exhibition showcasing work of an extraordinary new wave of image-makers shaping the future of photography. This year’s exhibition features the work of 15 extraordinary artists, chosen from nearly 2,892 submissions from 107 countries. The 15 Foam Talents in the exhibition reflect the energy, diversity, and global reach of emerging photographic practices today. Together, their practices point towards bold new directions in the medium and present a strong commitment to storytelling across a range of narratives, perspectives, and artistic approaches.

At a time marked by constant global change and uncertainty, the Foam Talent’s engage with some of the most pressing themes in photography and society today: political oppression, grief, and mental health, religion and faith, conflict, displacement, cultural identity, and technological innovation. Yet across these different bodies of work, one theme repeatedly comes to the surface: home. For many of the artists, home is not defined as a fixed place, but as a network of memories, relationships and emotional connections. Through their work – whether by embracing faith, confronting traumatic experiences, or imagining new forms of resilience – they suggest that home is not only where we come from, but something we continue to shape and carry within ourselves.

Foam Talents 2026

Sean Cham, Yiding Chen, Sara De Brito Faustino, Liubov Durakova, Nad E Ali, Nazanin Hafez, Paola Jimenez, Ramona Jingru Wang, Daniel Mebarek, Ali Monis Naqvi, Alvin Ng, Adam Rouhana, Ammar Yassir, Farren van Wyk and Sasha Velichko.

Alongside the 15 artists that are selected for the full Foam Talent 2026 programme, an additional 15 emerging talents will be recognised under a newly introduced category: Foam Talent Runners-up. For the selected Foam Talents this includes an exhibition at Foam’s museum in Amsterdam, a publication in Foam Magazine’s Talent Issue #68 - both in print and online - and a presentation at Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in Frankfurt. Throughout the Foam Talent programme, the artists will partake in mentoring sessions and connect with curators, writers, artists, and peers, fostering lasting professional relationships within the international photography community. Each Talent edition, the work of one selected artist is acquired by the Foam Talent partner Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, one of the most prestigious collections of contemporary photography. The 15 selected Foam Talent Runners-up will be featured on Foam’s editorial platforms including Foam Magazine’s Talent issue in print and online.





Since 2007, the Foam Talent programme has been the core step in Foam’s ongoing commitment to scout, present and support talented image-makers worldwide. Since then, it has become one of the most prestigious international open calls for emerging photographers; helping to launch the careers of numerous artists around the world by giving their work exposure and recognition. This 17th edition of the Foam Talent programme builds on a strong legacy, with past talents including internationally recognised artists such as Philip Montgomery, Carmen Winant, Olgaç Bozalp, Sara Cwynar, Jack Davison, Myriam Boulos, and Vasantha Yogananthan, among many others.