FOTODOK is proud to nominate the following artists for FUTURES 2026: Andong Zheng, Anton Shebetko, Maite Vanhellemont, Rafael Roncato and Tengbeh Kamara.
As FUTURES artists, they will join an international network that offers opportunities to show their work and take part in professional events. While working in various locations, these artists engage critically with the legacies of colonialism and the (in)visible traces they leave behind. They create works that challenge us to remember.
image: Tengbeh Kamara
In the projects of Maite Vanhellemont and Tengbeh Kamara, personal and family histories that are shaped by colonial backgrounds and political conflicts are documented and remembered. Using the creation of rituals as a method, Vanhellemont engages with the inherited memories of her Dutch-Indonesian family history in A Little Memory of The Beginning. By doing so she uncovers unspoken stories. Kamara’s Why You Left, Who You Left provides an intimate reflection on the complexities of political migration and the repeated phrase “go back to your own country”. At the same time they explore their father’s ‘heroic’ return to Liberia.
image: Maite Vanhellemont
Anton Shebetko challenges the act of forgetting by tracing invisible and unrecorded queer narratives that exist beyond mainstream history. Simeiz focuses on the queer history of a small village on the southern coast of Crimea, which was once an underground gay resort and is now under Russian occupation. Shebetko returns history to the surface through found footage not found in state archives.
beeld: Anton Shebetko
Rafael Roncato works with collections from the Nationaal Archief, Mauritshuis, and Rijksmuseum. In A Knife All Blade / The Façade, he examines the enduring colonial legacy of Dutch Brazil by re-editing paintings, maps, and documents created during the so-called “Dutch Golden Age.” By doing so he frames Brazil as exotic, fertile, and conquerable, placing these works within the context of contemporary Dutch urban life.
beeld: Rafael Roncato
In his long-term project How to (Un)Name a Tree, Andong Zheng examines the entangled relationship between naming, seeing, and knowledge formation through three closely related pine species: Pinus hwangshanensis, Pinus taiwanensis, and Pinus luchuensis. These species, distributed across East Asia, have long been subject to taxonomic controversy, revealing how systems of naming retain the residues of imperial history and geopolitical sediment.
image: Andong Zheng
JURY REPORT
Our evaluation considered both the artists’ overall practice; its urgency, innovation, uniqueness, and trajectory of development, and a recent project highlighted in their application.
We assessed the social and cultural relevance of the work, how its political dimensions reflect in everyday relations and society. We looked at the articulation of artistic language and voice, research-based and conceptual approaches, and a critical awareness of the photographic medium. We also considered the potential of the work to expand into installation or spatial presentation.
Additionally, we considered the momentum of each practice and what joining the FUTURES platform at this specific moment in 2026 could bring. For some artists, this coincided with a newly released project that could be shared with the community of fellow artists and members; for others, it was linked to a clearly defined motivation or proposal.
While not a deciding factor, we also recognised the relevance of combined practices, such as curatorial or educational work, and considered how each artist would enrich the FUTURES network. Finally, we aimed for a balance of perspectives and stories, and the conversations these practices would bring forward. Additionally, we want to highlight that the selection includes artists with both formal art education and self-taught paths.
In total, we reviewed 18 applications, all of which were very strong. The selection process allowed us to engage deeply with the practices of many remarkable artists. Those who were not nominated this year will automatically remain on the shortlist for FOTODOK’s next nomination cycle. We wish them ongoing success in their work and in future nominations.
EMERGING ARTISTS JOIN FUTURES: For the ninth consecutive year, FUTURES welcomes a new group of emerging artists into its long-term programme, supporting their creative and professional development. Each member nominates artists through a dedicated committee, ensuring a collaborative and democratic selection process that strengthens the cultural sector. With diverse backgrounds and creative visions, the FUTURES 2026 artists represent the next generation of voices that shape the visual landscape. This year, 88 emerging artists join the FUTURES network. They gain access to our community of professionals, markets, and audiences. With this new selection, FUTURES now supports around 750 artists, reinforcing its commitment to fostering artistic growth on a global scale. “With FUTURES, we create space for new generations of photographers and their ideas. Each new group of artists reminds us that the future of photography is shaped by fresh perspectives and voices that encourage us to see the world differently.” – Menno Liauw, Founder and Director of FUTURES
PROCEDURE
FOTODOK’s nomination process consisted of two steps, starting with internal nominations made by FOTODOK, with a compiled a shortlist of artists. The final selection was then carried out by an external jury, which included Astrid Hulsmann, curator at BredaPhoto (Breda), Guinevere Ras, curator at the Nederlands Fotomuseum (Rotterdam), and Tom Viaene, coordinator of Trigger—a publication focused on reflections on photography (FOMU – Museum of Photography, Antwerp). Daria Tuminas, artistic advisor and curator at FOTODOK, served as the secretary of the process.
