Henri Winkelman Award 2019 /
The First Award
On 29th of May 2019, the annual award show of the Henri Winkelman Award will take place at the Willem de Kooning Academy (WdKA). The Henri Winkelman Award has been created seven years ago by the Stichting Ondernermersbelangen Rotterdam. This foundation supports young innovative entrepreneurs on their way with two incentive prices of € 10 000 and € 5 000.
What is your occupation now?
Documentary photographer.
What did you gain from your study at WdKA?
It was the first time I was surrounded by like-minded people and people who truly expressed themselves as they were. This helped me to become comfortable in expressing myself as a person too. When it comes to the courses I took, the minor Hacking, Autonomous Practices stuck with me the most. The theory behind changed the way I work and I have been applying it in my own way ever since.
Favourite WdKA memory?
Working until the building closes at night.
What is the future of your profession in your opinion?
I believe we are going back to the core or starting point of photography. Continuing the work, started by the masters of photography by returning to the actual craft. To me, this matters the most because in order to create high art you have to understand its origin.
In order to create high art you have to understand its origin.
You never leave your house without…?
Greeting my wife and kid.
Any words of advice to future students?
Make the most out of your time at the Academy. Challenge yourself to search for the essence of who you are by letting go of the external influences. Once you've graduated and are working within your professional field, there will be less room to focus on that search process - time will fly by faster than you can imagine.
Name your favourite recent project.
Societies, my lifework.
About Societies:
Stacii Samidin made his name with ‘Societies’, a series of photographs about subcultures including groups of young people and notorious gangs. He lived as a photographer among the tough street gangs of Los Angeles and captured the hopeless existence of young people in the banlieues of French cities, families struggling to survive in Nairobi in one of the world’s largest slum areas, and criminals on the streets of Rotterdam.
Stacii has explored the ghettos of Paris, Nairobi, Los Angeles, Surinam, Jakarta and Bali. Personally meeting and getting to know each and everyone he has ever captured by simply being genuinely and respectfully interested. Photographing the lives of minorities, the oppressed and of those with unorthodox lifestyles by applying analogue photography reflecting the sincerity and rawness of his subjects.
Radicalism, stories and the unseen are the foundation of the continuous project called Societies. At the core is the essence of accepting a human being without judgement and prejudice.
Document Nederland, Rijksmuseum 12.10.2018-20.01.2019
The Rijksmuseum has been holding the annual Document Nederland exhibition since 1975, and each year a Dutch photographer is invited to focus on topical subjects in the social sphere.
For this commission by the Rijksmuseum for the Document Nederland exhibition, photographer Stacii Samidin (WdKA, Photography 2014) captured images of Dutch cafes and bars and their landlords, landladies and regular customers.
Future plans and hopes.
This year I am going to open my own gallery and in the near future, I’d sign to Magnum Photography.
Listen here to the Rijksmuseum podcast where Henk van Straten talks to Stacii Samidin about his life and work.
