Viviane Sassen (born 1972) is a Dutch artist living in Amsterdam. She is a photographer who works in both the fashion and fine art world. She is known for her use of geometric shapes, often abstractions of bodies.[1] She has been widely published and exhibited. She was included in the 2011 New Photography exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.[2] She has created campaigns for Miu Miu, Stella McCartney, and Louis Vuitton, among others.[3] She has won the Dutch Prix de Rome (2007) [4] and the Infinity Award from International Center of Photography.[5]

Viviane Sassen
Born1972 (age 51–52)
NationalityDutch
EducationAteliers Arnhem
Known forPhotography
MovementContemporary Art
AwardsInternational Center of Photography's Infinity Award, Kees Scherer Award, Prix de Rome (Netherlands)

Life and work

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Sassen lived in Kenya as a child and often works in Africa.[6] She started studying fashion at Arnhem,[7] but soon turned to photography. She received her MFA from Royal Academy in Arnhem.[8]

She is of the generation of photographer/artists that alternate personal, editorial, and commercial work and embrace an interdisciplinary attitude.[9] She says, "You should always be able to judge a photograph on different grounds, on political, social, emotional, but also on personal grounds."[7]

She is known for her use of geometric shapes, often abstractions of bodies. The photographed bodies are often intertwined, inspired by daily physical contact with strangers she experienced in Africa.[1] Conscious of the stereotypical images of famine and poverty, she includes contemporary elements abundant in Africa like cell phones and automobiles.[10]

Sassen was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2015 for her exhibition Umbra at Nederlands Fotomuseum.[11]

For several advertising campaigns, Sassen worked with fashion label 3.1 Phillip Lim.[12] Commissioned by Italian luxury goods manufacturer Bottega Veneta, she photographed Mica Argañaraz and Sven de Vries at the Kröller-Müller Museum for the brand's spring/summer 2016 advertisements.[13] Working on other campaigns, she later photographed Langley Fox at Villa Noailles for Lancel (2016)[14] as well as Natalie Portman and Yara Shahidi for Dior (2022), among others.[15]

Publications

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  • Flamboya. Contrasto, 2008, ISBN 978-88-6965-139-7.
  • Sketches: Polaroids of Africa. Kominek, 2010.
  • Parasomnia. Munich: Prestel, 2011, ISBN 978-3-7913-4521-5.
  • Die Son Sien Alles. Libraryman, 2011. ISBN 978-91-86269-19-7.
  • Roxane. London and Paris: Oodee, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9570389-1-2.
  • In and Out of Fashion. Munich: Prestel, 2012. ISBN 978-3-7913-4828-5.
  • Etan&Me. London and Paris: Odee, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9570389-4-3.
  • Lexicon. Tokyo: Art Beat, 2014. ISBN 978-4902080483. Edition of 1000 copies.
  • Pikin Slee. Munich: Presetel, 2014. ISBN 978-3791349534. About the village Pikin Slee.
  • Umbra. Munich: Presetel, 2015. ISBN 978-3791381602. Reprint edition.
  • Roxane II. London and Paris: Odee, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9570389-9-8. Edition of 1000 copies. With a poem by Maria Barnas.
  • Of Mud And Lotus. Tokyo: Art Beat, 2017. ISBN 978-4-902080-63-6. Edited by Shigeo Goto and Sawako Fukai. Edition of 1000 copies.
  • Hot Mirror. Munich: Prestel, 2018. ISBN 978-3791384764.

Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions

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Exhibitions with others

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Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b "GUP - Guide to Unique Photography".
  2. ^ a b "New Photography 2011". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Viviane Sassen: In and Out of Fashion". W Magazine.
  4. ^ a b Viviane Sassen - LensCulture. "Viviane Sassen". LensCulture.
  5. ^ a b "Viviane Sassen". 16 May 2016.
  6. ^ "MoMA - New Photography 2011 - Viviane Sassen".
  7. ^ a b "camera littera » Viviane Sassen - As the crow flies / Interview".
  8. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (12 October 2013). "Fashion photographer Viviane Sassen: a different take". The Guardian.
  9. ^ "Viviane Sassen". Musee.
  10. ^ "About Face". 8 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2015". Photographers' Gallery. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  12. ^ Jessica Iredale (9 February 2017), Phillip Lim Turns to Viviane Sassen for Fifth Campaign Women's Wear Daily.
  13. ^ Alessandra Turra (5 January 2016), Bottega Veneta Taps Viviane Sassen for Spring Ads Women's Wear Daily.
  14. ^ Paulina Szmydke (16 April 2016), Lancel Taps Langley Fox Hemingway and Noah Mills for Spring Women's Wear Daily.
  15. ^ Jennifer Weil (21 July 2022), Natalie Portman, Yara Shahidi Front Rouge Dior Forever Campaign Women's Wear Daily.
  16. ^ O'Hagan, Sean; O’Hagan, Sean (2013-07-06). "Les Rencontres d'Arles 2013 – review". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  17. ^ a b "Stevenson".
  18. ^ "Inside Viviane Sassen's Analemma: Fashion Photography". Harper's Bazaar. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  19. ^ "The Photographers' Gallery opens the first UK show of Viviane Sassen's work". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  20. ^ Weeks, Jonny (29 October 2012). "Red wine and doughnuts at the Daegu Photo Biennale, South Korea". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  21. ^ "The RPS 2015 Awards announced" Accessed 30 October 2015
  22. ^ "VIVIANE SASSEN news". Stevenson. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
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