As part of Life Stories, Pride Photo and BredaPhoto are launching a unique educational initiative, Life Stories – Educational Workshop, for emerging photographers enrolled at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) and St. Joost School of Art & Design. This programme invites five selected students to collaborate closely with LGBTQIA+ individuals from the Breda area to co-create original portrait-based projects.
The goal is to foster respectful, community-centered storytelling that explores themes such as queer identity, marginalisation, resilience, and joy. Under the guidance of curators Samira Damato (Pride Photo) and Astrid Hulsmann (BredaPhoto), as well as tutors Francesco Giordano and Zindzi Zwietering, participants will develop new photographic works through a process that values consent, dialogue, and co-creation.
The programme includes two in-person workshops and two individual online sessions. The first in-person workshop (early August 2025) focuses on portraiture and ethical interviewing, while the second (early September) explores archival storytelling and visual experimentation through collage and mixed media. Each student will be paired with a member of the local LGBTQIA+ community and supported in crafting a work that reflects both artistic intention and lived experience.
Final works will be curated into the public Life Stories exhibition and presented alongside established photographers, offering early-career artists professional visibility in a high-impact cultural context. Travel and meals will be covered, and participants will receive curatorial feedback throughout the process.
To apply, please submit the following by 15 July 2025 to info@pridephoto.org:
- A short artist bio (max. 100 words)
- A brief motivation letter (max. 300 words)
- A PDF portfolio or link to your website
- Confirmation that you are a current student at KABK or St. Joost
We look forward to working with students who are committed to inclusive storytelling and eager to grow artistically in collaboration with queer communities.
PROFILES
Zindzi Zwietering
Zindzi Zwietering, director of Pride Photo, is a multidisciplinary artist. Although photography forms the foundation of her practice, Zwietering incorporates techniques such as silkscreen printing, image transfers, silver gilding, and paint into her work. Her work explores themes of climate crisis, queerness, and womanhood, which she investigates through the rigid systems of urban planning and city life. Zwietering received the Mondriaan Stipend for Emerging Talent, published a book with The Eriskay Connection, and has exhibited at institutions including the Lakenhal Museum, Art Rotterdam, Unfair, the Stedelijk Museum, Foam, and Dutch Design Week.
Francesco Giordano (Mit Euren Spuren Collective)
Francesco Giordano (he/him, 1992) is a queer photographer, creative artist, and curator based in Munich, Germany. His work primarily focuses on LGBTQIA+ themes and migration. Francesco is currently enrolled in a Master’s programme in Munich. He graduated in 2017 from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich with a B.A. in Photo Design. His work has been showcased internationally at galleries and festivals including the Belfast Photo Festival 2022, the Auswanderermuseum Ballinstadt in Hamburg, the group exhibition “I have no words, there is no title” at the Rathausgalerie – Kunsthalle München, and at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. He has received awards including the VG Bild-Kunst Neustart Kultur Fellowship 2021 and the bayern.innovativ “Young Art” Fellowship by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture and Science. In 2024, he was nominated for the photo prize of Munich. Francesco represents the Mit Euren Spuren collective.
CURATORS
Astrid Hulsmann (BredaPhoto)
As curator at BredaPhoto, Astrid Hulsmann offers valuable insights into the exhibition-making process and the craft of curating. She challenges young talents and photographers to reflect on the role and influence of curators and festivals within the photography world. Astrid discusses how decisions are made about which stories are told, and how these choices shape the visibility and impact of queer and other subjects. Her contribution encourages participants to critically reflect on the power and responsibility involved in curating exhibitions.
Samira Damato (Pride Photo)
Samira Damato is a Maltese-German filmmaker, artist, and curator living and working in Malta and the Netherlands. She graduated from KABK in Fine Art, the Piet Zwart Institute with an MA in Lens-Based Media, and holds an MA in Cinema Theory and History from the University of Antwerp (BE). Samira has curated exhibitions for World Press Photo Foundation, NOOR Images, PhotoSaintGermain (FR), MAXXI (IT), and non-profits including Greenpeace (SEA), Friends of the Earth (MT/NL), and Here to Support (NL). She is Artistic Director of Pride Photo and guest lecturer in photography at KABK, NL.
