Concept and Vision

FOTODOK’s mission is to make documentary photography by locally and internationally renowned photographers available to a broad public. FOTODOK aims to increase documentary photography’s visibility and the interaction between photographers. It wants to contribute to further professionalisation of the sector. In addition, FOTODOK wants to play an important role in promoting visual literacy by developing an attractive exhibition and education programme and by organising critical lectures and debates.

What is Documentary Photography?
Documentary photography is the use of images to tell a story based on real events, from the perspective of the photographer. Documentary photography bridges the gap between photojournalism and independent art photography. Regular discussions take place between journalists, artists and photographers about which works do or do not fall under the term ‘documentary’. For FOTODOK, these discussions underline just how necessary it is to intensify the exhibition of documentary photography. There is a lack of knowledge about what documentary photography is and can be. The outcry in January 2008 over the nomination of a military photographer for the Zilveren Camera, a Dutch photojournalism award, confirms this assertion.

Documentary photography is the perfect mirror on the world. It tells the story behind the story; it highlights global problems and raises awareness of controversial topics. Documentary photography affects people and thus lends itself well to discussions and the development of visual literacy.

Developing Visual Literacy
At school we are taught how to read a poem or interpret a literary text. Information about the period, the writer’s background and the symbolic meaning of words enable us to understand the text and to distinguish between the literature available. In photography, this rarely happens. The majority of people consider a beautiful photo to be a good photo. Visual literacy is crucial for being able to ‘read’ documentary photography, but also for assessing the value of photographs on the internet or in advertisements.

FOTODOK aims to play an active role in the development of visual literacy through images, readings, debates and educational programmes. Being able to enjoy a series of beautiful or intriguing photographs remains an important part of this process, of course, particularly because we intend to use these series as a stepping stone for the public to discover ‘more’. FOTODOK wants to engage its audience.

Focus on Documentary Photography
Existing organisations, such as FOAM and Huis Marseille in Amsterdam, het Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam and the GEM Fotomuseum in The Hague, cover the full breadth of photography, from independent art and fashion photography to advertising and photojournalism. These organisations attach a great deal of importance to the development of the general photography climate in the Netherlands – something FOTODOK would certainly like to contribute to by organising exhibitions the public finds attractive – but as a result of their lack of focus, they only play a limited role in the development of the profession. The same speakers and themes pop up repeatedly in these institutions’ discussions, juries and presentations. By focusing exclusively on documentary photography, FOTODOK aims to add depth to the debate and to become a leader in this area in the Netherlands.