In collaboration with the Willem de Kooning Academy, the Kunsthal Rotterdam presents a series of masterclasses – exclusively for students and Kunsthal Friends – by exceptional artists. After the inspiring masterclasses by such figures as photographer Peter Lindbergh, photographer and artist Erwin Olaf, choreographer Conny Janssen, architect Rem Koolhaas and fashion artists Viktor&Rolf, it is the turn of Belgium photographer Stephan Vanfleteren. On the occasion of his exhibition ‘Surf Tribe’ he will give a masterclass in the Kunsthal Auditorium.
During the masterclass, Stephan Vanfleteren will discuss his artistic practice, work and his sources of inspiration. With a special focus on the various ways to present photography to a wider audience, the Masterclass presents a unique opportunity to learn from the master himself. The official language of the masterclass is Dutch.
Stephan Vanfleteren
Stephan Vanfleteren studied photography at the Sint Lukas School of Arts in Brussels between 1988 and 1992. Besides doing his own projects, he worked as a freelance photographer for the Belgian newspaper De Morgen and a number of international media outlets until 2009. Vanfleteren specializes in black and white portraits and long-running photo report projects at home and abroad. Vanfleteren’s autonomous work reveals an artist with a keen sense of observation and an ability to listen to, contemplate on and write about the world around him. He received numerous awards for his work, including the European Fuji Award, the Dutch National Portrait Award and the Cultural Prize of the province of West Flanders, which is awarded every five years. In 2013, Vanfleteren won his sixth World Press Photo Award for the series ‘People of Mercy’ in the ‘Staged Portraits’ category.
Surf Tribe
In the exhibition ‘Surf Tribe’, Stephan Vanfleteren exposes a culture dominated by a deep respect for the ocean. Vanfleteren looks beyond the traditional surf spots of California and Hawaii and travels all over the world in search of people who live where the ocean meets the land. There he manages to capture the almost fluid community of ‘subjects of the mighty Surf Tribe’ whose only ruler is nature. They are not depicted in action shots while riding azure waves, but in serene black-and-white portraits shot in Vanfleteren’s own pure and gripping style. With more than seventy distinctive black-and-white portraits, the exhibition ‘Surf Tribe’ is an ode to the people whose souls belong to the ocean.
Programme Thursday 13 December
| 10:30-11:00 | Walk/in |
| 11:00-13:00 | Masterclass by Stephan Vanfleteren in the Auditorium |
| Vanaf 13:00 | Opportunity to visit the exhibition 'Surf Tribe' |
Signing up for students
Participation costs for students in the Masterclass are €7,50, including a visit to the exhibition 'Surf Tribe´.
Signing up for friends of the Kunsthal
Kunsthal Friends can apply for the Masterclass by sending an email to vrienden@kunsthal.nl. Participation to the Masterclass is free for Friends of the Kunsthal. Would you like to know more about the advantages of becoming a Friend of the Kunsthal? Click here.