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- This is the third and last edition of the Berry Koedam Award.
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The award is a collaboration between Kunstinstituut Melly and Mrs. Berry Koedam of the ramfoundation.
The Berry Koedam Award honors creators with their visual documentation of artworks and exhibitions, as well as of art events and artistic communities in the Netherlands. This is one of the awards that Kunstinstituut Melly launched in 2020, each involving a unique focus. Supported by various foundations, this awards program was designed to celebrate the institution's thirtieth anniversary by honoring its ecosystem over time.
We are pleased to announce that photographer Sander van Wettum is the recipient of the Berry Koedam Award. He will receive a cash gift of €5,000 and will be honored in an awards ceremony held at Kunstinstituut Melly on November 8, 2023, together with the Maker behind the Maker Award.
Sander van Wettum is a photographer and visual artist, based in Rotterdam. “Winning the Berry Koedam Award gives me the opportunity to reflect on my work as a documentation photographer,” Van Wettum shares. “I always struggled with the different ‘roles’ I take on as a photographer. One day I do commissioned photography for an exhibition, the next day I’m in my studio trying to figure out how to show my own projects in an exhibition space. I never valued these activities equally: the first was always a side job, the latter my ‘real’ job. I think that this is something many artists struggle with. But thinking about it now, it’s actually quite obvious that both activities feed each other. The combination of practices makes me both a better artist and better documentation photographer. Receiving the Berry Koedam Award underlines the fact that this unique ‘loop’ of creating work in both roles is something to value”.
Van Wettum was nominated by Maziar Afrassiabi, founder of artspace Rib in Rotterdam. Afrassiabi shares “Sander has a strong photographic vision. His ability to bring that vision into the context of a commission without either compromising his artistic voice nor the purpose of the commission is unique. In fact the former enhances the latter in his case. I read somewhere that for Sander a photograph is successful when the 5 W’s are missing (Who?, What?, Where?, Why? When?), this applies to his beautiful independent work, but very interesting in relation to his commissioned works, for example as exhibition photographer, where the 5 W’s matter, but are also somewhat generic in that art world context”.
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| | About the jury
The jury has chosen Sander van Wettum for the Berry Koedam Award in recognition of his photographic work documenting exhibitions, performances and art world related events. Sander's work shows a highly refined sensibility to the specific artwork in situ, and communicates within a holistic ecosystem in the form of publications, over which his editorial contribution is key. His activities reflect the quality, dedication and care which the jury recognizes as an under-recognized and important part of the vital communication in our community.
The jury members were Matthew Antezzo, artist, producer and former head of Art & Culture at Polaroid; Emilia van Lynden, Head of Marketing, Communication and Publications at Manifesta Biennial; and, Lara Almarcegui, visual artist based in Rotterdam.
About Sander van Wettum
Sander van Wettum was born in 1987 in Zoetermeer, a post-war planned city in the Netherlands. The artificial landscape of his childhood still resonates in his photography today, in which he deals with the experience of abstraction and alienation in the built environment. Office parks during after-hours and desolate beach resorts in winter are examples of the places he explores with his camera. The resulting images find their way into a wide range of mediums, ranging from spatial-installations to films and photobooks. In 2021 van Wettum published his first monograph “Hibernation” with the Eriskay Connection. Van Wettum obtained his MFA from the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam in 2012. He lives in Rotterdam, where he works as an artist and commercial photographer. He has recently exhibited in Museum Hilversum (2023) OMI Rotterdam (2021) – and published series in NRC handelsblad (2022).
About the Berry Koedam Award
In 2020, the Berry Koedam Award has been created through a partnership between Berry Koedam and Kunstinstituut Melly.
As founder of the ramfoundation and a former art gallerist in Rotterdam, Koedam has given visibility to the work of artists in the Netherlands for over 30 years, significantly promoting the understanding of contemporary art herself. She remains an active supporter of contemporary arts today and, since our opening in 1990, she has also been one of our institution’s frequent visitors.
Berry Koedam herself shares about the award: “Art is indispensable to me and seeing is the most beautiful way of traveling to an unknown destination. That journey can be poetic, surprising, thought-provoking, challenging or shocking. Because artists are constantly pushing their boundaries, their language is universal. Whatever the outcome, it is very important for me to be open to it and to go along with it. That's why I wanted to encourage artists. When I told that to Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, she immediately reacted enthusiastically and thought along to make a plan together for an artist award, to develop and realize this in collaboration with each other. This resulted in 3 beautiful prize winners in 3 years. Namely Dustin Thierry, Jannes Linders and now, Sander van Wettum. With many thanks to Sofía, Sarah and the team of Kunstinstituut Melly for organizing the prize, it was a very pleasant cooperation.”
The Berry Koedam Award recognizes the important role that visual documentation—often published and circulating without proper credits—has in significantly promoting an understanding of art in and of the present. This unique award recognizes image-makers creating outstanding documentation in the art field, which has helped give visibility to the work of artists and art institutions. Former winners of the award are Dustin Thierry (2021) and Jannes Linders (2022).
The award is one of various awards designed to celebrate Kunstinstituut Melly's thirtieth anniversary by simultaneously celebrating the contributions of those who make its cultural ecosystem so vibrant. Click here to learn more about Kunstinstituut Melly's awards program.
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| | | Press Contact
For press inquiries, please contact Liza Wolters via liza@kunstinstituutmelly.nl.
Kunstinstituut Melly’s mission is to organize activities on the latest developments in contemporary art and theory. It creates exhibitions, publications, and educational programs of artistic merit and cultural significance. It also commissions new art, supports innovative research, and advocates for cultural partnerships. Kunstinstituut Melly welcomes audiences year-round in its +3,500m2 nineteenth-century building, located at 50 Witte de Withstraat in the Cool District of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Kunstinstituut Melly is supported by the City of Rotterdam and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science in The Netherlands. In 2023, support was also provided by grants from AMMODO, Hartwig Foundation, and Droom en Daad, among others. Project support is earned through fundraising activities, individual donations, and foundation grants. The Berry Koedam Award is made possible by the ramfoundation.
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Witte de Withstraat 50 3012 BR Rotterdam
Open: wo-zo, 11-18 uur
Vr, 18-21 uur, Kunstavond, gratis toegang
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Portrait Sander van Wettum by Rei Kakiuchi
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