ANTWERP.- Vincent Delbrouck, Bieke Depoorter, Boris Mikhailov, Max Pinckers, Annemie Augustijns, David Claerbout, Jacques de Lalaing, Kimbei Kusakabe, Zanele Muholi, Dirk Braeckman … These are just a few of the photographers whose work FOMU has acquired for its collection over the past 10 years.

The exhibition re-collect takes you on an associative walk through a decade of acquisitions. The non-chronological approach encourages new connections to be made between the works. Three focal points tie them together: Belgian photography, international socially relevant photography, and a clear cohesion with our exhibitions. re-collect offers a simultaneous glimpse of the collection’s past, present and future.

FOMU is home to a diverse, international collection of over three million objects, both historical and current. The collection is divided into four sub-collections: image, equipment, funds and book. Every year brings with it new acquisitions and donations. This exhibition shows recent acquisitions in the sub-collection image.

Issei Suda
My Japan
07.05.2021 - 03.10.2021

Issei Suda (1940-2019) is a famous name in the world of Japanese photography, yet he remains relatively unknown in Europe. FOMU wants to change this with a first retrospective of his work outside Japan.

In the course of nearly sixty years, Suda built up an idiosyncratic oeuvre of often surreal images. He developed a coherent visual language all of his own, characterised by square formats and high-contrast black-and-white prints. Through his lens, everyday life took on a magical quality.




Suda began his career during the turbulent 1960s as the stage photographer for the experimental theatre troupe Tenjo Sajiki. His breakthrough came in 1978 with the publication of his first photo book, Fushi Kaden. He spent most of his career photographing in Japan, from traditional festivals in the countryside to life in the bustling streets of Tokyo.

For Suda, all his photographs were his favourites. Together they form a photographic album that is a reflection of himself and his times.

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication 'Issei Suda - My Japan', published by fw:books.

Curators: Frits Gierstberg & Anne Ruygt

Mous Lamrabat - We Gonna Be Alright
COVID-19 work grant
07.05.2021 - 29.08.2021

Beauty and a sense of hope are central to Mous Lamrabat’s work. His photographs are absurd and surrealistic, at times subtly provocative, always colourful and fun. Lamrabat makes playful reference to icons from the fashion world and mixes symbols of popular culture and North African culture. He teams traditional apparel with striking props to create his unique visual universe.

In 2020, FOMU awarded COVID-19 work grants to Mous Lamrabat, Aurélie Geurts, Joud Toamah, Hélène Amouzou and Alexey Shlyk & Ben Van den Berghe. They are creating new work inspired by the precarious times we are living through. The images are incorporated in FOMU’s collection.

Curator: Ingrid Leonard