art mentor - curator - photographer - producer

With people and their stories, the social constructs around them, and their (national) identities as a fundament, Anne Lakeman (1993) uses the image as a tool for exploration, communication and collaboration. She implements her ability to amplify others in curating exhibitions and producing events while challenging her own position and role as a photographer. Questions of ownership, power, objectivity and attachment sit at the core of this continuous search and directly feed back into the collaborative nature of her practice.

She works with independent artists Amie Dicke, Bodil Ouédraogo, Salimah Gablan, Asefeh Tayebani, Margot Holtman, Margherita Soldati, and Mirre Yayla Séur. Additionally, since January ‘23, she has worked as Manifestation Coordinator with co-founding curator Rita Ouédraogo, Niels Staats and Hana Hussein.

She is co-founder of AbsurdBeings, a curatorial collective based in Amsterdam, to which she contributes with her experience in event management, website and network building. Her aesthetic eye and spatial perception influence the exhibition design and visual identity of AbsurdBeings. She is the collective’s very own in-house photographer and website designer, responsible for archiving and documenting all exhibitions.

For two years, she formed the Management Team at Cultureel Centrum ‘t Fijnhout with Irina Djojoatmodjo and Margherita Soldati, where they created a ‘cross-pollination’ space for young makers and locals. After this, she was the Programme and Event Manager at Mediamatic from September 2018 til December 2021.

To her, taking a portrait, curating an exhibition, or helping someone in their making process are of equal value. With her willingness to recognise the other and by combining critical thought with empathy, she maintains a professional approach while keeping the threshold low.