For Circulate 21 artists were selected, all of whom use photography in unique and innovative ways, thinking beyond the frame. Their work also attests to the impact of the image in our daily lives. Many of the works in Circulate were created especially for the exhibition and will be on view for the first time. During the exhibition, the Stedelijk will announce which works will be acquired for the museum collection.

Every two years, the Stedelijk organizes a large group show centered on a discipline or urgent theme. The 2024 edition focuses on developments within the field of photography, a medium that is constantly evolving. This emphasis reflects the museum’s new course in photography: works that highlight the intersection of the visual arts and photography.

Absolute cutting edge

(Het Parool)

Photography has increasingly become a part of our lives; we produce and consume a constant flow of images. Also the status of photography as an art medium has shifted dramatically. The 21 artists included in Circulate use photography in unique and innovative ways, thinking beyond the frame. Their approach exceeds the technical realm; what matters is the meaning of the artwork. Carriers of the photographic image can take on myriad forms, varying from the classical photo paper to a stone or fabric, a digital form, a sculpture or a three-dimensional installation.

Circulate features the work of 21 artists: Aimée Zito Lema / Ana María Gómez López / Anika Schwarzlose in collaboration with Elena Khurtova and Brian D. McKenna / Bruno Zhu / Gilleam Trapenberg / Hira Nabi / Ima-Abasi Okon / Jaya Pelupessy / Katarina Jazbec / Katja Mater / Katja Novitskova / Kévin Bray / Kevin Osepa / Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-nti / Mandy Franca / Neo Matloga / Paoletta Holst / Robert Glas / Semâ Bekirović / Sharelly Emanuelson / Vytautas Kumža.

The exhibition is curated by Mirelva Berghout (independent curator) and Vincent van Velsen (curator contemporary art and photography, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam).

The exhibition Circulate, photography beyond frames is part of the series Proposals for the Museum Collection (formerly known as the Municipal Art Acquisitions), which the Stedelijk organizes biannually with financial support from the City of Amsterdam. For this edition, twenty scouts from the field submitted a longlist of makers living and working in the Netherlands to a jury. During the duration of the exhibition, the Stedelijk will announce which works will be purchased for the museum's collection.

The jury of this edition consisted of Ahmet Polat (editor-in-chief of broadcaster HUMAN, photographer, curator, film and theater maker), Amal Alhaag (curator, researcher and co-initiator/facilitator of several initiatives, including Metro54 and, previously, the Side Room), Laurens Otto (curator and critic), Sara Blokland (visual artist, researcher and curator), and the curators of the exhibition: Mirelva Berghout (independent curator) and Vincent van Velsen (curator contemporary art and photography, Stedelijk Museum and chairman).