Pride Photo and De Hallen Amsterdam invite you to Zomersalon 2026, an evening dedicated to Pride, queer visibility, and the power of photography. The event takes place in celebration of Pride and the 25th anniversary of marriage equality in the Netherlands.
This year’s Summer Salon brings together photographers, writers, and cultural thinkers to reflect on queer history and the importance of visual storytelling in documenting and sustaining LGBTQIA+ communities.
We live in a time when queer visibility is increasingly contested. Images are censored on social media, histories risk being erased, and representation remains under pressure. At the same time, photographers, writers, and activists continue to preserve and share queer stories. Zomersalon 2026 explores this tension between visibility and invisibility, between archive and present day.
Program
The evening begins with an introduction to the Pride Photo exhibition by Samira Damato and Zindzi Zwietering. They reflect on what will be shown, why it matters, and how queer visibility is understood through image making today. The presentation also includes an introduction to the work of Laurien Riha and the ongoing Pride Photo residency.
Following this, writer Menno Sedee speaks with photographer Chantal Regnault. Regnault documented early queer marches in 1980s New York and the Ballroom scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Together they discuss the history of the Pride movement in New York and Amsterdam, the meaning of queer visibility, and the role of photography in activism, culture, and memory. They also reflect on censorship and how visual culture has changed over time.
Featured voices
Chantal Regnault is a French documentary photographer who lived in New York from the 1970s to the 1990s. Her work documents queer communities, Pride marches, AIDS activism, and the Ballroom scene. She is known for her publication Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of New York City 1989 to 1992 published by Soul Jazz Books and co directed the documentary Deported.
Menno Sedee is editor at NRC Magazine, a publication of NRC, focusing on culture, design, and contemporary society. His work explores gender and sexuality and he is co author of Tussen feest en protest. Het verhaal van de Amsterdamse Pride, published by Park Uitgevers.
Laurien Riha presents a special commissioned series of portraits reflecting queer love and marriage equality, including couples married in 2001 and 2025 as well as queer couples from Amsterdam West. These works will be shown on banners at De Hallen from 7 July to the end of August.
For whom
This evening is for anyone interested in queer culture, photography, activism, and archival storytelling. Whether you are part of the creative sector, a regular Pride Photo visitor, or simply curious about queer history and visibility, you are welcome.
Practical information
Date 23 July
Location De Hallen Amsterdam
Entrance 19:30 to 20:00
Program 20:00 to 21:30
Tickets
€10.00 / €12.50 / €20.00 Euro
Pay what you want model
Free tickets available on request for those without financial capacity.
