Belief, On the Move

BELIEF, ON THE MOVE EXHIBITION 9 SEPTEMBER – 23 OCTOBER 2016 In Belief, on the Move, FOTODOK examines the changing role that faith, in its multiple forms, plays in our daily lives and the world around us. Work by acclaimed documentary photographers depicts this changing landscape. The exhibition features work by: Martin Parr (UK), Henk Wildschut (NL), Nicoló Degiorgis (IT), Geert Gioris (BE), Sara Galbiati, Peter Helles Eriksen & Tobias Selnæs Markussen (DK), Samuel Otte (NL), Liz Hingley (UK), Hokjesman (NL) and Emile van Rouveroy (NL). Central to the exhibition is the movement of faith – literally, from one place to another, but also the shifts taking place within the (personal) search for meaning (with or without religion). The global political climate is leading to an unprecedented geographic spread of various religious beliefs. These beliefs can be a force for social cohesion, but they can also be the cause of (violent) conflict when different, often contrasting sets of norms and values clash. At the same time, many people are looking for meaning without religion. For two months, Belief, on the Move will be a meeting place for artistic expression, with work by a host of (inter)national documentary makers. The exhibition raises some fundamental questions: What does faith mean to you, to your (new) neighbours and to our society? Do we embrace it or reject it? International photographers For Belief, on the Move, FOTODOK selected work that focuses mainly on the experience of faith during migration. What role does faith play at the moment you leave home? New work by Henk Wildschut shows the sprawling refugee camp known as ‘the Jungle’ in Calais. Wildschut has spent years documenting life and survival in the camp, where he saw how migrants, after finding a place to sleep, erected a makeshift church or mosque. How do different religions coexist? Under Gods, by photographer and anthropologist Liz Hingley (UK), investigates the growth of urban multi-faith communities. In Birmingham, she photographed a street where Pentecostals, Sikhs, Rastafarians, Hari Krishnas and Buddhists live side by side. The series will be displayed on Domplein. Photographer Martin Parr (Magnum) spent four years on a series depicting the different religious groups in the Black Country, west of Birmingham. Nicoló Degiorgis (IT) presents new and existing work from his multi-award-winning project Hidden Islam. He looks at how and where Muslims practice their religion in Italy, a country that is home to about 1.35 million Muslims but has no more than eight government-approved mosques. As a consequence, Muslims have been forced to improvise, transforming parking lots, gyms, shops and warehouses into places of worship. Dutch photographer Samuel Otte graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in 2016 with De Val. The series depicts his conflicted relationship with religion, God and his father, offering a poignant glimpse of both a personal struggle and the changing attitudes towards religion in the Netherlands. But not everyone believes in a God. In Phenomena, Danish photographers Tobias Selnaes Markussen, Sara Galbiati and Peter Helles Eriksen investigate the fascination with extraterrestrial life and sympathetically portray a diverse cast of paranormal believers. This exhibiton was developed in collaboration with curator Jenny Smets.