A VITAL MESS, IT TAKES TWO (2023) | DANIELE FRAZIER
KROSI | Marwan Magroun (2018)
ART PROGRAMMING BY STICHTING NDSM-WERF
Architecture, fashion, social themes, design and street culture; Dutch-Tunisian photographer Marwan Magroun sees the metropolitan context as his playground.
Since early 2023, he was chosen as the new ‘Fotograaf des Vaderland’ and will be ambassador of (Dutch) photography for two years. A position that ties in with his mission to make (visual) culture more accessible. Magroun: “Photography should belong to all of us, not just to privileged people. It is important to ensure that a large part of the people who do not have access to photography are exposed to it.”
The self-taught maker is a sought-after photographer who knows how to depict important and sometimes sensitive social issues. Representation and empowerment are recurring themes in his work, as he focuses on redefining contemporary visual culture by making it more accessible and inclusive.
With projects such as KROSI and The Life of Fathers, Magroun has quickly made a respectable name for himself within Dutch photography. KROSI consists of a series of images, with Rotterdam’s architecture as the backdrop, in which, together with stylist Meryem Slimani, he charts the connection between culture and fashion. The Surinamese name for clothing is krosi; many Surinamese words are used in Rotterdam street slang. This shows how cultures and customs blend into urban life. What traditions and customs do Rotterdam youth take with them in their current fashion choices? What can we learn from each other by looking at clothing, behavior and customs?
This winter, three images from the series KROSI can be found on NDSM. A similar concrete jungle where different (sub)cultures and styles come together. About the specific selection of works for NDSM, on view from January 9, Magroun says, “It’s nice to see that my work from 5 years ago is becoming more and more relevant. Claiming your place, with your baggage, in this society is actually a theme of all times.”
The works will be on display at NDSM from January 9, 2023 through the end of June 2023. Click no the button at the end of this page for the website of Marwan Magroun.
About the artist
Marwan Magroun, born in Rotterdam to Tunisian parents, learned photography when he received a camera as a gift on his 26th birthday. His stepfather found the old-fashioned camera on the street, but didn’t know what to do with it. So Magroun began capturing the world around him, in addition to his work at the tax office, among others. The beginning of a career path, because at 31 he decided to become a professional photographer. His award-winning transmedia project The Life of Fathers about single fathers with a migration background in Rotterdam, won several awards, including the 2020 Silver Camera, Paul Peters Photo Award and SO Award 2021. His documentary was selected for the International Film Festival in Rotterdam and screened on Dutch television.