Viviane Sassen

Acclaimed Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen is coming to Fotografiska Stockholm with her first major retrospective exhibition. In Phosphor: Art & Fashion 1990-2023, we follow 30 years of creative development and magnificent photographic works.

“Viviane Sassen's impact on the photography and fashion scene is big and we are very proud to show such a comprehensive exhibition with her,” says Mohamed Mire, exhibition producer at Fotografiska Stockholm.

Viviane Sassen has a rich career as a photographer, to say the least, and is one of the most recognized contemporary photographers. The exhibition Phosphor: Art & Fashion 1990-2023, opening at Fotografiska Stockholm on September 5, follows her 30 years of creative work with almost 200 works from a variety of series, several never-before-seen works and video installations.

"We are very proud to present such a comprehensive exhibition of Viviane Sassen's work. She creates sculptural images in a unique way, where clothes and models become geometric shapes and textures, and human bodies are reduced to colors, light and shadows," says Mohamed Mire, exhibition producer at Fotografiska Stockholm.

unique view of the human body

In this exhibition, Sassen brings together fine art with fashion photography, creating a dialogue between two sides of her artistry that may seem separate - but are very much connected. Her photographic style, with its saturated colours, graphic contrasts and unique view of the human body, has become internationally recognized.

Viviane Sassen, who now lives in Amsterdam, spent the first years of her life in Kenya, where she still draws much of her inspiration. The exhibition opens with some of her best-known works, mostly created on the African continent between 2004 and 2014. The images are often praised for their introspective and intimate nature while being visually bold.

“My life is unimaginable without Africa. My memories from that time, the contrast of light and shadow, vibrant colors, and deep personal connections, came to shape my photographic vision. When I return it is much like coming home, and at the same time I know I will never fully be part of that society. But that is where my very earliest childhood memories were formed, so it is in my blueprint, it is in my spine somehow”, says Viviane Sassen.

Phosphor: Art & Fashion 1990-2023 will be on display at Fotografiska Stockholm from September 5 through November 23. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the MEP - Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The curator of MEP is Clothilde Morette, Artistic Director. Exhibition producer for Fotografiska Stockholm is Mohamed Mire.