ISSP at the FUTURES annual event

From 4 to 6 November, ISSP curator Iveta Gabaliņa together with artists Kristīne Krauze-Slucka (LV), Konstantīns Žukovs (LV), Sergey Melnitchenko (UR), and Kristina Õllek (EE) joined the European FUTURES Photography platform’s annual event in Turin, Italy. Hosted by CAMERA (Centro Italiano per la Fotografia) and coinciding with the Turin Contemporary Art Week, FUTURES welcomed more than one hundred artists and curators from all over the world for three intensive days of meetings, exhibitions, workshops and public events. 

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, FUTURES is a Europe-based photography platform bringing together the global photography community to support and nurture the professional development of emerging artists across the world. With 18 active member organizations, the platform supports and nurtures the professional development of emerging and mid-career artists.

ISSP joined the FUTURES platform in 2022. We are happy to  offer the artists from Baltic region wider networking opportunities presented by the FUTURES network.

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“Exchange and exposure are very important factors for developing my practice, both artistically and practically,” says Latvian photographer Konstantīns Žukovs, one of the artists nominated by ISSP. “Seeing others' work, showing your own work and getting exposed to new ideas through the workshops is a great mix to keep one's brain moving.”

Another ISSP FUTURES artist, Latvian visual artist Kristīne Krauze-Slucka, approaches participation in the platform as a long-term tool kit to help address the creative struggles shared in the field of professional photography: “I am drawn to the community created by the FUTURES platform, which unites over a hundred authors and photography-related professionals: gallerists, festival organizers, publishers, theorists, and museum representatives. It gives usa unique opportunity to openly discuss photography-related issues – be they practical, ethical or philosophical.”

Every year, each platform member nominates artists to join the platform, who then gain access to a wide network of professionals, markets and audiences increasing their commercial opportunities. Selected artists are offered access to tutoring sessions, lectures, workshops and curated exhibitions organised by the FUTURES platform.

This year ISSP nominated 5 artists to join the FUTURES platform – Vika Eksta, Kristīne Krauze Slucka, Sergey Melnitchenko, Konstanīns Žukovs and Kristina Õllek. The next round of selected FUTURES artists will be announced next spring.