With the exhibition Public Intimacy, Meervaart Studio Foto Lab experienced a special edition in 2026. The work of the participants was displayed at two locations in Amsterdam: first in the KIOSK of No Man's Art Gallery and subsequently at Meervaart. This gave a new generation of Amsterdam photographers the opportunity to present their work to a broad audience.

Since 2017, Meervaart Studio Foto Lab, in collaboration with Foam Forward, has offered young visual artists between the ages of 15 and 26 a space to develop their photographic practice. Working from personal narratives, experimentation, and guidance from professional photographers, participants develop their own visual voice.

For the sixteenth edition of Foto Lab, participants tackled the theme Public Intimacy. Under the guidance of photographer Hanane El Ouardani, they explored questions surrounding closeness, visibility, identity and memory. How do we relate to others? What do we reveal about ourselves, and what remains hidden?

The results were personal, vulnerable and multifaceted. Through photography, portraits and visual narratives, the makers investigated their relationship to each other, their bodies, their surroundings and their past.

The participating photographers were Lieke van Dam, Lucette Vink, Khansae Bourjila, Vera Silsbury, Willemijn van der Waal, Yacelyn Anthonio, Lauren Sterke, Paandyar Pourseyf, Sabien Kuilman, Manu Maste, Leo van der Oost and Dewi Veldhuizen.

The first exhibition took place from 26 March to 2 April 2026 at No Man's Art Gallery KIOSK in Amsterdam. Here, visitors experienced the complete Public Intimacy exhibition.

Subsequently, a selection of the work received a second presentation at Meervaart. This kept the project visible to a new audience and further strengthened the connection between talent development and presentation. In this second exhibition, work by Lieke van Dam, Lucette Vink, Yacelyn Anthonio, Dewi Veldhuizen and Leo van der Oost was on display.

By presenting the exhibition at two different locations, not only was the participants' work given extra visibility, but a wonderful collaboration also emerged between different cultural partners in the city.