International exhibition OCCUPY TIME starts at FOTODOK
27 November 2026 to 28 February 2027 in Utrecht
OCCUPY TIME centres on the question of how time is experienced, shaped and examined. It explores how time becomes intertwined with memories, history and personal narratives. The exhibition explores how photography and other visual practices can challenge linear conceptions of time, reveal historical gaps and open up space for new ways of seeing and thinking about time. Which stories have disappeared from view, and how can they be made visible and interpreted once more?
image: Aline Bovard Rudaz
Daria Tuminas, curator at FOTODOK: “This current period is characterised by widespread violence and instability across the globe. There is a pressing need to question populist ideas of linear time–one event following another, that the past is in the past and is not impacting the current state of the world. We want to talk about interconnectedness of events across time, but also feature projects that are critical not only to the idea of time, but also to the photographic medium.”
Femke Rotteveeldirector of FOTODOK: “FUTURES is an important platform for us. As a member of this network, we are able to connect five promising photographers from the Netherlands each year with leading institutions and peers across Europe. That exchange of knowledge, visibility and opportunities is exactly what emerging talent needs. FUTURES extends our reach far beyond what FOTODOK could achieve on its own, and that makes the collaboration extremely valuable.”
Following Utrecht, OCCUPY TIME will be on display at Riga Art Space (21 January to 23 March 2027) and at PHOXXI – Temporary House of Photography in Hamburg (11 September 2027 to 30 January 2028), with a different curator interpreting the theme at each venue.
OCCUPY TIME was developed by a team from five photography institutions. The jury that selected the artists consisted of: Bettina Freimann (Triennial of Photography Hamburg), Daria Tuminas (FOTODOK), Iveta Gabalina (ISSP), Markéta Kinterová (FOTOGRAF ZONE), Nadine Isabelle Henrich (Deichtorhallen Hamburg), with a special contribution from Viktoria Rochambeau (Deichtorhallen Hamburg).
header image: Chloe Azzopardi
The European programme FUTURES (EPP – European Photography Platform) is a research platform for contemporary photography, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme and focused on identifying and supporting emerging artists across national borders. Its headquarters are based in Amsterdam.
Alongside FOTODOK, the only Dutch institution within the platform, FUTURES partners are located throughout Europe. A full list can be found here.
