Viviane Sassen (born 1972) is a Dutch artist living in Amsterdam. She is a photographer who works in both the fashion and fine art world. She is known for her use of geometric shapes, often abstractions of bodies.^[1] She has been widely published and exhibited. She was included in the 2011 New Photography exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art.^[2] She has created campaigns for Miu Miu, Stella McCartney, and Louis Vuitton, among others.^[3] She has won the Dutch Prix de Rome (2007) ^[4] and the Infinity Award from International Center of Photography.^[5]

Life and work

Sassen lived in Kenya as a child and often works in Africa.^[6] She started studying fashion at Arnhem,^[7] but soon turned to photography. She received her MFA from Royal Academy in Arnhem.^[8]

She is of the generation of photographer/artists that alternate personal, editorial, and commercial work and embrace an interdisciplinary attitude.^[9] She says, "You should always be able to judge a photograph on different grounds, on political, social, emotional, but also on personal grounds."^[7]

She is known for her use of geometric shapes, often abstractions of bodies. The photographed bodies are often intertwined, inspired by daily physical contact with strangers she experienced in Africa.^[1] Conscious of the stereotypical images of famine and poverty, she includes contemporary elements abundant in Africa like cell phones and automobiles.^[10]

Sassen was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2015 for her exhibition Umbra at Nederlands Fotomuseum.^[11]

Commissioned by Italian luxury goods manufacturer Bottega Veneta, Sassen photographed Mica Arganaraz and Sven de Vries at the Kröller-Müller Museum for the brand's spring/summer 2016 advertisements.^[12]

Publications

• Flamboya. Contrasto, 2008, ISBN 978-88-6965-139-7.
• Sketches: Polaroids of Africa. Kominek, 2010.
• Parasomnia. Munich: Prestel, 2011, ISBN 978-3-7913-4521-5.
• Die Son Sien Alles. Libraryman, 2011. ISBN 978-91-86269-19-7.
• Roxane. London and Paris: Oodee, 2012. ISBN 978-0-9570389-1-2.
• In and Out of Fashion. Munich: Prestel, 2012. ISBN 978-3-7913-4828-5.
• Etan&Me. London and Paris: Odee, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9570389-4-3.
• Lexicon. Tokyo: Art Beat, 2014. ISBN 978-4902080483. Edition of 1000 copies.
• Pikin Slee. Munich: Presetel, 2014. ISBN 978-3791349534. About the village Pikin Slee.
• Umbra. Munich: Presetel, 2015. ISBN 978-3791381602. Reprint edition.
• Roxane II. London and Paris: Odee, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9570389-9-8. Edition of 1000 copies. With a poem by Maria Barnas.
• Of Mud And Lotus. Tokyo: Art Beat, 2017. ISBN 978-4-902080-63-6. Edited by Shigeo Goto and Sawako Fukai. Edition of 1000 copies.
• Hot Mirror. Munich: Prestel, 2018. ISBN 978-3791384764.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selected)

• 2001: I see you gorgeous blossom special, Fotofestival Naarden, Naarden Vesting, the Netherlands.^{[citation needed]}
• 2010: Flamboya, Danziger Projects, New York, USA.^{[citation needed]}
• 2012: Parasomnia, Stevenson, Cape Town.^{[citation needed]}
• 2013: In and Out of Fashion', Les Rencontres d’Arles Photo Festival, Arles, France.^{[citation needed]}
• 2014: Pikin Slee and Etan & Me, Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town, South-Africa.^{[citation needed]}
• 2014: Umbra, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.^[13]
• 2014: Analemma: Fashion Photography 1992 - 2012, Photographer's Gallery, London, 31 October 2014 – 18 January 2015.^[14]

Exhibitions with others

• 2011/2012: New Photography 2011, Museum of Modern Art, New York, September 2011 – January 2012. Photographs by Sassen and Moyra Davey, Zhang Dali, George Georgiou, Deana Lawson and Doug Rickard.^[2]
• 2012: The Youth Code, part of Daegu Photo Biennale, South Korea. Included work by Sassen as well as Anouk Kruithof, Ryan McGinley and Willem Popelier.^[15]

Awards

• 2007: Prix de Rome for her Ultra Violet photography series in Africa.^[4]
• 2011: Infinity Award: Applied/Fashion/Advertising Photography, International Center of Photography.^[5]
• 2013 German Photo Book Prize for In and Out of Fashion
• 2015: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.^[16]
• 2015: David Octavius Hill Medal from the German Photography Academy^[17]
• 2016 German Photo Book Prize for Umbra^[13]