Structures

A curated selection of photography NFTs by Europe’s next generation of photography greats

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FUTURES, the leading European Photography Platform, is pleased to announce its two-year collaboration with Unveil, a curated platform for photography NFTs.

The main goal of this partnership is to develop an educational program that will introduce artists

Unlock Insider Access to the World of Photography

About FUTURES:
 
FUTURES is the European Photography Platform that brings together the global photography community to support and nurture the professional development of emerging artists across the world. Since 2017, the platform has aimed to add long-term value by empowering early and mid-career photographers, launching initiatives to promote their work, and granting them access to an unprecedented network of professionals, markets, and audiences. FUTURES seeks to encourage new and adventurous ways of enhancing the vital relationship between artists and the industry by creating an ecosystem that allows and stimulates cross-pollination. It simultaneously aims to become the go-to source for emerging photography worldwide. FUTURES works as a growing international network of influential organizations operating in the field of photography, bringing together a wealth of resources, expertise, and talent programs to pool from. Each year, they nominate a group of rising photography talents to join the platform and co-host a series of events to increase their capacity, mobility, and visibility. Synchronously, the platform aims to reveal new and exciting photographic approaches by celebrating a diversity of stories, encouraging upcoming artists to present their most challenging work, and providing insights into their world and most recent projects.

Groeneveld amassed dozens of interests he couldn't narrow

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Futures partners with Unveil

Paul Cupido’s affinity for the natural world was born out of a childhood spent on a Dutch island, where the tides and the cycles of the moon reflect the fleetingness of life. Cupido’s work is also deeply inspired by Japanese photography as well as his tra

Paul Cupido (1972) graduated with honors from the Fotoacademie Amsterdam in 2017. He has since published various artist books, among which Searching for Mu (2017), Continuum (2019), and 4 a.m. (2021)—each one in collaboration with graphic designer Akiko Wakabayashi. Cupido’s work has been exhibited widely, among others at Paris Photo, Unseen, and Nordic Light Festival. Cupido’s work is represented by Bildhalle Gallery (Zurich & Amsterdam), Danziger Gallery (NYC & LA), and The Photographer’s Gallery (London). In 2022 Cupido has been invited to become the inaugural artist-in-resident for INSTANTS, a Château Palmer and Leica residency program.

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Artist Announcement

What attracted me to photography in the first place was it’s versatile and purpose driven nature, with very little interest in the question of wether it was art, or not. Some images hold such beauty or transcending power that they elevate them-self above 

Firstly, because it will allow us to unlock talent on a worldwide scale. There is a huge global pool of exceptional talent, that is having difficulty reaching the market, due to some physical barriers. For photography, the existing structure of physical galleries in the physical world, means that as an artist you need representation by a gallery. Once you are represented, the gallery only has so much time and space available within their gallery program, and even less space for proper visibility at art fairs. This is already a challenge for artists in metropolitan areas with a vibrant gallery ecosystem geared towards photography, but next to impossible for talent faced with geographical challenges and circumstances. There is so much exceptional talent out there in those parts of the world, that deserves access to market and a voice in the direction of the medium, and Unveil can offer that.

Unveil doesn’t bypass the existing ecosystem necessarily, but rather expands the possibilities radically. And this expansion of possibilities is not only apparent in the geographical benefits, but also in the artistic sense. Unveil is not only about creating opportunity for global talent, but also about creating new commercial opportunity for new horizons of the artistic practice of established photographic artists. Ventures into digital, video or other dynamic formats were notoriously difficult to properly validate, but with the new NFT technology, this gateway is opened. Something that expands the opportunities for artists both economically and artistically, which in turn truly helps to break through the current boundaries of the photographic medium.

Great power, comes with great responsibility. This is why solid artistic direction, curation and partnerships with leading voices within the world of photography are at the heart of the Unveil project. Unveil already partners with some of the most important museums, festivals, fairs and magazines within contemporary photography in order to ensure that the unveiling of this bright, new future of photography is done the right way, and can serve as strong foundation for the exceptional possibilities it creates.

Expanding opportunities in the photographic medium

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In the past, NFTs have had a bad reputation when it comes to the environment, but this is something that is well behind us. Some chains, such as Polygon (which Unveil uses) are not just carbon neutral, they are even carbon negative. Many of the photograph

Polygon has partnered with KlimaDAO, a decentralized collective of environmentalists, developers, and entrepreneurs, that is widely recognized as the most high-profile proponent of facilitating the nascent on-chain carbon market. The Klima Infinity on-chain carbon market is a unique initiative that allows businesses to offset their carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits. Polygon purchases credits via KlimaDAO's on-chain carbon market, Klima Infinity, and retires them using its offset aggregator decentralized app. This initiative makes it easy for businesses to offset their carbon footprint and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Polygon's green initiatives do not stop there. The chain is also committed to reducing its own carbon footprint. The Polygon team is working on a green energy plan that will allow them to power their nodes using renewable energy. The team is exploring several options, including solar and wind energy, to power their nodes. This initiative will further reduce Polygon's carbon footprint and make it an even greener option for businesses.

In conclusion, Polygon is the best chain for negative carbon emissions due to its energy-efficient consensus mechanism and commitment to supporting green initiatives. Businesses that want to reduce their carbon footprint should seriously consider using Polygon as their preferred launch chain. As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, blockchain technology has the potential to play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions, and Polygon is leading the way.

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Article

Thomas Albdorf‘s main interest focuses on photography and sculpture – in particular, the intersection area between both practices, their shifting perceptions, the contemporary status quo of the photographic image and the decontextualization caused by inte

Thomas Albdorf was born in Linz, Austria in 1982. After working for several years as a Graphic Designer and Art Director, he studied Transmedia Art at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, where he graduated in 2013. He was selected as one of 30 international "Artists to Watch" by British Journal of Photography in 2014; he won the UNSEEN Amsterdam Talent Award in 2016. He had his first institutional solo show „Room With a View“ in 2018 at FOAM Amsterdam, followed by his solo show „Mirror Mirror“ at Museum Folkwang in Essen / Germany in 2019. His work has been exhibited throughout galleries in Europe & the United States, and he has been featured / interviewed in magazines like FOAM Magazine, British Journal of Photography, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian and many more.

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Artist Highlight

Wanda Tuerlinckx is a Belgian photographer based in Amsterdam. Her portrait work is part of the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam City Archive.

Since 2016 she has been working on the ‘Robot Portraits’ series in collaboration with human-mac

The development of robots over the centuries has been a two-fold goal. On the one hand, robot development is fueled by society’s economic need for cheaper, faster and safer means of production; on the other hand, it has been fueled by a human curiosity to understand what it means to be human.

Tuerlinckx search for this humanity becomes apparent, despite the scientific visual style of the portraits, or perhaps even because of it. This search for humanity in her subjects, and the thoughtful consideration of both style and technique in her work, make it exceptional examples of the power of portrait photography.

Editorial

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