AMSTERDAM.- Unseen, the new international photography fair, announces it’s inaugural 2012 edition, which will take place in Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek from September 20 – 23. Unseen is a joint venture of Foam (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam); Platform A (office for cultural business development); and Vandejong (branding agency).

A New Fair for Unseen Photography
Unseen is an effort to give new photography the platform it deserves. It brings together galleries that focus on new developments, young photographic talent, known photographers with new works to show and a global audience interested in discovering groundbreaking work. Unseen focuses on exciting and ‘emerging’ developments in the world of photography, on pioneers and adventurers, providing a source of inspiration for international collectors and photography lovers worldwide.

International Galleries
Unseen has invited over 50 galleries from around the globe to participate in this launching edition. An eclectic mix of large and small, known and new, all of which are the best in their particular field. Galleries that have so far committed to Unseen include G/P Gallery (Tokyo), Paradise Row (London), Les Filles du Calvaire (Paris), Martin Asbeak Gallery (Copenhagen), Motive Gallery and Van Zoetendaal Collection (Amsterdam) and M97 (Shanghai), displaying a strong mix of European and non-European galleries.

A Fair with a Festival Flair
Unseen will provide an atmosphere in which the modern visitor feels at home. Highlights of the accompanying programme will include the Unseen Collection, a curated exhibition of never before seen photographs from each participating gallery with a price under € 1.000,- and the Unseen Market, a pilot for launching and financing new opportunities within the photography world. Further events include special tours of the fair, the launch of Foam Magazine’s annual Talent Issue, the Offprint Book Fair and an evening programme of documentary and film screenings.

Co-directors Marloes Krijnen, Pjotr de Jong and Roderick van der Lee commented, “We are delighted to announce this first inaugural edition of Unseen and are convinced that the unique concept of the fair will make it an event that is exciting and rewarding, both for the visitor and the participant. We are very happy with the quality and breadth of galleries already committed to the fair and by the cultural and artistic diversity that they represent as a group. We are also thrilled to have the Westergasfabriek as a partner and have no doubt that this truly atmospheric location, with its mix of 19th-century industrial buildings surrounded by parkland, makes an ideal setting for Unseen. Furthermore, with its core values of creativity, innovation and a long-standing mercantile spirit, we feel that Amsterdam is the natural home for such an event”.