The Sequel

Photographers know the frustration better than anyone else: you have invested a lot of time in a subject but know that all you have done is a sort of ‘snapshot’, a fraction of a much more complex story. With support from the Mondriaan Fund, Noorderlicht offered seven photographers a chance to return to a subject that was close to their heart and deepen, sharpen or nuance their work on it with a new series. The seven were selected by a jury of professionals from a total of 134 project proposals, on the basis of the visual strength of the previous work and the urgency of the sequel.  

The Sequel offers scope for young talent and old masters, different generations which together have a greater story to tell, making use of both classic and modern means. Noorderlicht shows how innovation stands on the shoulders of tradition, and that the history of photography is a rich and uninterrupted continuum. In addition, it offers a counterweight to the hype that – in part as a result of budgetary restrictions – seems to reign in contemporary photography. In defiance of the often invoked ‘crisis in documentary photography’, The Sequel dives deep under the surface.