Noorderlicht

Showing photo reportage. Exchanging thoughts with photographers, photography users and the public about the role and significance of the medium. That is what the founders of the gallery that became the basis for Noorderlicht had in mind back in 1980.

The Noorderlicht Photography Foundation arose out of the USVA* Noorderlicht Photogallery, which was founded in 1980. In its first years the gallery was the podium par excellence for new developments in Dutch documentary photography. Although in time various other forms of art photography also came to share the field, documentary photography remains the spearhead of the programme.

In November, 1990 the photogallery celebrated its tenth anniversary with the first edition of the Noorderlicht Photofestival. After the first followed a second, after the second a third – initially as a biënnale, but since 2000 every year: the only annual photofestival in The Netherlands, and one of the few  in the world.

With such regularity the festival's field of involvement expanded, and with that expansion came its international character. Ever more photographers with world-wide reputations are taking part in the festivals, the exhibitions in the gallery and the other exhibition projects. And many promising young photographers are making their début there.