FOTODOKs new exhibition Who’s in Control? – Exploring new narratives of power opens November 23rd.
Our lives are increasingly driven by forces we can’t control, because we can’t see them and they’re not tangible. Think of algorithms that control our lives in many different ways without us knowing it – let alone that we understand it! Other aspects of our lives have reached such levels of abstraction that we’ve lost the connection. Exchange trading is a good example. Until recently the trade took place on the trading floor; a place you could see, a camera crew could go to. But who can dream up anything to visualise flash trading, where billions are made and lost in milliseconds? But this is not all that’s happening. The institutions that traditionally provided these representations, such as science and the media, are under pressure. Populist politicians, influenced as they are by populism and conspiracy theories, deliberately question the value and necessity of these institutions. Fake news and denial of climate change are the best-known examples.
One question comes up in the midst of all these societal changes: Who’s in control?
In the exhibition Who’s in control? FOTODOK presents (inter)national photographers’ work that shows us how to look with fresh eyes at the underlying structures of societal changes of today. Because we need new images to help us find answers to the question Who’s in control? To start a conversation that makes it possible for us to understand the paradigm shift that is happening now, and to keep a grip on how our future will look. That conversation has to include an important place for our narratives, and the choices we make based on these narratives. We need new images and words that enable us to relate to the forces that influence our daily lives. To understand, resist or embrace.
Names of participating photographers will be announced shortly, keep an eye on this website and our social media. Or sign up for our newsletter.
Who’s in Control? will be on display from November 23rd until Februari 23th.
