Tomas Van Houtryve

7:23 Tomas van Houtryve | Foundry 2026 PhotoWings 4:04 Tomas van Houtryve on Research PhotoWings 1:30:30 Documentary Photography in the Era of Generative A.I., with Tomas van Houtryve and Fred Ritchin Photography’s ability to record specific moments of reality has made it a powerful documentary tool over the past century. Since the recent public release of generative artificial intelligence, synthetic images that strongly resemble photos are now quickly being added to the record, undermining the intuitive trust in photos and scrambling the links between images and reality. What can practitioners, publishers, and educators do to resist the erosion of trust in documentary photography? What are the new tools, vocabulary, and ethics needed to adapt to this technological upheaval? Fred Ritchin, Dean Emeritus of the School at the International Center of Photography and former picture editor of the New York Times Magazine, speaks with VII photographer Tomas van Houtryve about the risks and opportunities that AI presents to the documentary photography community. PhotoWings 1:15:34 Monumental Photography: Investigating Representations of Colonialism and Nationalism Using The VII Foundation exhibition, MONUMENTAL: The Dome of the Rock by Ziyah Gafić and Notre-Dame de Paris by Tomas van Houtryve, as a launch pad, this discussion will feature presentations on photography’s history and politics of representation in France and Israel/Palestine. Taking a step back from these places in the present, this panel will explore how particular understandings of faith, identity, colonialism, and nationalism have been enabled by visual symbols. Moderator: Dr. David Campbell, Education Director, The VII Foundation Speakers: Professor Jonathan Long Co-director, Centre for Visual Arts and Culture, Durham University Dr. Sary Zananiri Cultural practitioner and theorist Ziyah Gafic Contributing photographer, The VII Foundation Tomas van Houtryve Contributing photographer, The VII Foundation PhotoWings 59:06 How Do We Focus Our Gaze? Connecting Photography & Social Impact Featuring: Nancy Farese (Moderator), Sarah Blesener, Brian L. Frank, and Tomas Van Houtryve Presented by Catchlight We are at a unique moment, and it’s never been more important to use visual stories to help us make sense of a complex world. Modern day storytellers are culturally diverse and uniquely talented, pushing our understanding of the medium to reach new audiences, address chronic issues, and help us see and understand each other through a more nuanced lens. In 2017, CatchLight launched its fellowship program, honoring three storytellers who demonstrated excellence in the use of photography as a catalyst to spark new conversations. Sarah Blesener’s project, “Beckon Us From Home,” examines the interplay of religion, love of country, and military-style training in the teaching of “New Americanism” among youth. Brian L. Frank’s latest work, “Out of Bounds,” looks at targeted policing and criminalization of youth in minority communities and asks what kind of a society we have built, where a prison camp becomes a boy’s only experience of summer camp. Tomas Van Houtryve’s project, “Lines and Lineage,” questions the role that photographs—both present and missing—have played in shaping the identity of the West. In addition to an award of $30,000, each fellow entered a partnership with an established media outlet and worked with CatchLight to mobilize resources and activate community around their year-long projects, focused on driving measurable social change. Hear from CatchLight’s founder and fellows about our unique focus on solving the giant mismatch between artists and their potential for social impact by surrounding longform storytelling with resources, networks and leadership to bring to life and amplify the reach of their stories. This public presentation will focus on the experiences of CatchLight’s inaugural fellows, and an open discussion of our approach to promoting social change through the arts. Produced by United Photo Industries at Photoville 2018 Presented in partnership with PhotoWings with additional support by The Philip and Edith Leonian Foundation and Two Trees Management PhotoWings 3:55 Tomas Van Houtryve on Filling in the Visual Landscape Tomas Van Houtryve has become well-known for his inventive, award-winning documentary photography. In this video, he tells us a bit about how he approaches the process of visual storytelling, from developing a concept to exploring the edges of our visual landscape. Tomas van Houtryve is a conceptual artist, photographer and author whose major works interweave investigative journalism, philosophy and metaphor. Van Houtryve makes images using a wide range of processes, ranging from 19th century wet plate collodion to thermal imaging and Augmented Reality. His projects challenge our notions of identity, memory and power, often by highlighting the slippage of wartime structures into everyday life. Van Houtryve’s works are widely exhibited including at the Baudoin Lebon gallery, Paris (2019), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (2018), International Center for Photography Museum, New York (2017), Museum für Fotografie, Berlin (2017), Galerija Vartai, Vilnius (2017), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem (2016-2017), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (2016-2017), British Museum, London (2016), Anastasia Photo Gallery, New York (2016), Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (2016), Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto (2016), Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (2016), East Wing Gallery, Dubai (2015), Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2015), Drents Museum, Assen (2015), Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona (2015) and other venues. PhotoWings 1:53 Tomas Van Houtryve on the Intergenerational Power of Photography Award-winning photojournalist Tomas van Houtryve makes the case for the importance of preserving family photographs, and tells us how he has incorporated these important heirlooms into his photographic projects. Tomas van Houtryve is a conceptual artist, photographer and author whose major works interweave investigative journalism, philosophy and metaphor. Van Houtryve makes images using a wide range of processes, ranging from 19th century wet plate collodion to thermal imaging and Augmented Reality. His projects challenge our notions of identity, memory and power, often by highlighting the slippage of wartime structures into everyday life. Van Houtryve’s works are widely exhibited including at the Baudoin Lebon gallery, Paris (2019), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (2018), International Center for Photography Museum, New York (2017), Museum für Fotografie, Berlin (2017), Galerija Vartai, Vilnius (2017), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem (2016-2017), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (2016-2017), British Museum, London (2016), Anastasia Photo Gallery, New York (2016), Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (2016), Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto (2016), Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (2016), East Wing Gallery, Dubai (2015), Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2015), Drents Museum, Assen (2015), Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona (2015) and other venues. PhotoWings 3:37 Tomas Van Houtryve: Career Evolution In this video, award-winning photojournalist Tomas Van Houtryve gives us a window into his professional history as a photographer, taking us through his early encounters with the medium to his formative years honing his craft. Tomas van Houtryve is a conceptual artist, photographer and author whose major works interweave investigative journalism, philosophy and metaphor. Van Houtryve makes images using a wide range of processes, ranging from 19th century wet plate collodion to thermal imaging and Augmented Reality. His projects challenge our notions of identity, memory and power, often by highlighting the slippage of wartime structures into everyday life. Van Houtryve’s works are widely exhibited including at the Baudoin Lebon gallery, Paris (2019), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (2018), International Center for Photography Museum, New York (2017), Museum für Fotografie, Berlin (2017), Galerija Vartai, Vilnius (2017), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem (2016-2017), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (2016-2017), British Museum, London (2016), Anastasia Photo Gallery, New York (2016), Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (2016), Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto (2016), Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (2016), East Wing Gallery, Dubai (2015), Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2015), Drents Museum, Assen (2015), Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona (2015) and other venues. PhotoWings 6:14 Tomas Van Houtryve on "Blue Sky Days" Tomas Van Houtryve published his project “Blue Sky Days” in Harper’s as the largest photo portfolio in the magazine’s 164-year history, which engages with themes of surveillance, personal privacy, and war through drone photography. In this video, Tomas gives insight into the history of war photojournalism, his reasons for embarking on this documentary project, and the complex reception the project has received. Tomas van Houtryve is a conceptual artist, photographer and author whose major works interweave investigative journalism, philosophy and metaphor. Van Houtryve makes images using a wide range of processes, ranging from 19th century wet plate collodion to thermal imaging and Augmented Reality. His projects challenge our notions of identity, memory and power, often by highlighting the slippage of wartime structures into everyday life. Van Houtryve’s works are widely exhibited including at the Baudoin Lebon gallery, Paris (2019), BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels (2018), International Center for Photography Museum, New York (2017), Museum für Fotografie, Berlin (2017), Galerija Vartai, Vilnius (2017), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem (2016-2017), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (2016-2017), British Museum, London (2016), Anastasia Photo Gallery, New York (2016), Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (2016), Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto (2016), Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (2016), East Wing Gallery, Dubai (2015), Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2015), Drents Museum, Assen (2015), Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona (2015) and other venues. PhotoWings