Get ready for Unseen Photo Fair! Taking place from the 18th to the 20th September at Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek, it’s going to be a weekend filled with good photography, artistic expression and innovative ideas. For those who have always thought these few days of photography-filled goodness is not enough, the fair has grown into a 10-day long event called Unseen Festival. It will take place at different locations all over Amsterdam and will continue until the 27th of September.

The heart of the festival, Westergasfabriek, will host a plethora of different activities. You can get attend talks and discussions in a relaxed environement at the Unseen Living Room,  enjoy browsing books at the Unseen Book Market, look at magnificent work at the Unseen Collection or at Foam Talents 2015, or immerse yourself in the art installation called ‘Panorama Carland’ by Jan Hoek. There are 54 galleries featuring contemporary photography altogether, displaying work from both emerging photographers and already established artists. More than 70 works will premiere at Unseen, meaning those pieces have never before been publicly exhibited at an art gallery.

The Unseen Photo Fair wants to stimulate more than one sense of the five human senses. Next to sight, they also want to stimulate the sense of taste. That is why Unseen is featuring a new on-site dining experience titled Artist Recipes. On Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th various previously chosen artists will decide the menu for the evening. Organised at Westergasterras, the culinary experience will tie in with the artist’s work and be the main topic of the evening.

Last year the Unseen magazine was launched for the first time. This year its second issue will see the daylight, featuring interviews with over 50 artists whose work is exhibited at the fair. The editorial section presents essays and articles written by various experts of photography, curators and collectors. Available for purchase at the fair, it is also distributed in selected shops around the world.

BLEND\BUREAUX recommends a visit to these galleries at the Unseen Photo Fair: Dürst Britt & Mayhew, Galerie Ron Mandos, Kahmann Gallery and The Ravestijn Gallery. Dürst Britt & Mayhew is a gallery from The Hague with a more experimental approach to exhibition making. Committed to helping artists from different national and artistic backgrounds, Dürst Britt & Mayhew was founded in 2015. Galerie Ron Mandos has been around since 1999 and its policy is to reflect the current developments in the contemporary art world. Kahmann Gallery focused originally on Dutch photography only, but has over time come to exhibit an equal amount of international photography. The Ravestijn Gallery, situated in Amsterdam like the previous two, gives prominence to contemporary photography that challenges traditional styles.

As mentioned before, the fair has expanded into Unseen Festival, which takes place in 38 different locations across Amsterdam. A celebration of photography, the festival collaborates with more than 40 institutions, academies, artists and initiatives to create a challenging, exciting and inspiring programme.

Are you ready to take on the 10 day long celebration of photography? You can get acquainted with the exact programme of both the fair and the festival on Unseen Photo Fair’s website here.