KESSELS_INCUBADORA_2022_BAJA

INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS | 2025

TUTORS

Beatriz Novaro | Writer, poet, screenwriter (México)
Ana Casas Broda | Photographer, editor and coordinator  (Spain | Mexico)
Vera Yijun Zhou | Multimedia artist and designer (China | Netherlands)

The program will offer participants living in other locations to attend some online modules and attend those that are essential for the development of their projects, especially in the printing phase of models and final books.

 

Simultaneous translation will be provided for all workshops.

DATES TO BE DEFINED


MODULE 1 to MODULE 8

INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS is a program that accompanies a group of 15 previously selected authors in the process of developing their photobook project. Through 8 modules with different editors, designers, writers and artists from some of the most interesting publishing projects in the world, we seek to offer a wide and varied panorama of ways of working in the edition, production, circulation and diffusion of photobooks.


In addition, each author will be supported to deepen and strengthen his or her project both conceptually and formally, in a process in which working with narrative is inextricably linked to experimentation with design, materials and forms of production.


Finally, the objective of the program is for authors to learn about the processes involved in the realization of their book and to be able to make informed decisions. Special emphasis is placed on the individual accompaniment of each author, while a heterogeneous group of participants, both students and professors, will be selected to enrich the reflection and work.

GUEST PROFESSORS

Beatriz Novaro | Writer, poet, screenwriter (México)

Lukas Birk | Artist, editor and director of Fraglich Publishing (Austria)
Jan Rosseel | editor, designer | Belgium, The Netherlands

Duncan Wooldridge | artist, curator, writer | United Kingdom

Musuk Nolte | photographer, editor KWY | Peru

Erik Kessels | Autor, editor Kesselskrammer (The Netherlands)

Vera Yijun Zhou | artist, editor and designer | China, The Netherlands
Agustín Estrada | Digital processes and production (Mexico)

Ninfa Alvarado | Book binding (Mexico)

Sol Mart[inez | Book binding (Mexico)

+ LECTURES BY GUEST PROFESSORS 
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INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS


INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS is a program of workshops and conferences that will support photographers and the general public in the reflection and production in the field of contemporary photobooks. Inviting national and foreign specialists and artists, participants will be offered a broad and diverse panorama of the possibilities offered by the photobook, the tools to conceptualize and develop projects in this medium, as well as the experience of editors and authors who have created publishing imprints and books with an innovative and fertile proposal. 

The program will cover theoretical and practical aspects, giving priority to the production of the participants' projects, addressing different forms of publication, as well as teamwork as a creative/collaborative work ground between author, editor and designer, as an enriching scenario for creation. Finally, the program offers authors access to new professional circuits worldwide for the circulation and dissemination of their work.

INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS is an experimental program based on a horizontal structure of training, based on dialogue, exchange and experimentation with local materials and production processes. 

Dummies are produced on Hydra inkjet and laser printers and participants experiment with local papers and with binding techniques.

This program has been carried out in four editions since 2016 and almost all the photobooks of the participants have been published in various collaborative schemes. 

This is how we started our publishing project and we hope to continue nurturing it with extraordinary narratives.

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ABSCENCE by Mariceu Erthal. Incubadora de fotolibros 2019. Published in 2023. It includes 3 books with 3 stories in which each one tells a story by Mariceu about absence intertwined in this book. One of the books is Letters to Gemma, project that was Eugene Smith Fund Grant Recipient in 2020.

TUTORS


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BEATRIZ NOVARO

Beatriz Novaro has a body of work in various genres.
She has written the screenplays for the films Lola, (1989) Danzón (1991) and El jardín del Edén, ¡994) directed by María Novaro. He received the Ariel for Lola as best original screenplay. The film Danzón was selected for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.
She received the Rockefeller Media Arts Fellowship. His film Jardín del Edén won the India Catalina de Oro for Best Original Screenplay at the Cartagena Film Festival. She wrote the screenplay for Viaje Redondo (2009) with Marina Stavenhagen, directed by Gerardo Tort. This film won the Silver Mayahuel for Best Film at the Guadalajara Film Festival, as well as the Havana Star Best Screenplay at the 12th Havana Film Festival in New York.
She wrote the screenplay for the film Érase una vez (2008) by Juan Carlos Rulfo. She received the REC, (Recognition to the Cinematographic Writer). He has been a member of the National System of Creators SNCA. She has written the librettos for the plays Manga de Clavo and Querida Lulú.
She has published three books of poetry: Un tren de luz. Caja de resonancia and Desde la banca de un parque. A short novel: Cecilia todavía. He has a book on the rewriting of film scripts: Reescribir el guion cinematográfico (Rewriting the film script), which has two editions and the third one is about to be published. El roce de la poesía en la imagen, her next book to be published soon.
She is a consultant for photographic projects within the Hydra Photobook Incubator specialization course. Among others, she has advised photographers on their texts for the photobooks, Álbum y Kinderwunsch, by Ana Casas Broda, En mi mente nunca hay silencio by Diego Moreno, Ausencia by Mariceu Erthal, ÁNGEL MIGUEL by Isabel Moreno Cortez, among many others.
She has also been an advisor to filmmakers throughout Latin America. She has advised filmmakers such as Lucrecia Martel in La Ciénaga (2001). Catalina Arroyave on Los días de la ballena (2019). Andrés Ramírez Pulido on La Jauría (2022).
In Mexico, she has advised several generations. Among the most successful films he has advised are the following: La Camarista by Lila Avilés (2018). Nuevo orden by Michel Franco (2020) Huesera by Michelle Garza (2022) Tótem by Lila Avilés (2023).
She has been a teacher for several years at Hydra. At the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica she founded the Film Script Course. She has been a teacher at EICTV, the San Antonio de los Baños Film and Television School since 2005.
She has been an advisor for the Master's Degree in Audiovisual Writing at the Universidad del Magdalena. She has been advisor to the Colombian Film Development Fund. She has been an advisor to the Cinefilias Laboratory in Santa Fe de Antioquia since 2012. She has been an advisor for the Algo en Común Residency.


BEATRIZ NOVARO

A VOICE OF ITS OWN: 

VISUAL STORYTELLING, WRITING AND OTHER MEDIA


The guidance to the authors of the program will help each one of them to find their voice, to sharpen their eyes and ears. Nourish themselves with other genres, other artistic experiences that can recharge their creative energy. Dynamize fixed ideas, misunderstandings, challenge one's own perception to go deeper into the work, give it shape, take impulse recognizing our uniqueness and making use of various tools and technologies. 

Dedicate time and space to shape your project by finding your own voice, understanding from new angles what feeds the story you want to tell, as key elements to support each author to build the narrative of your photobook. She loves nothing more than teaching, as it allows her to accompany others on the creative journey.

Beatriz will participate in all modules throughout the program.




ANA CASAS BRODA

THE BOOK AS AN AUTHORS WORK

Ana Casas' mentoring will be focused on supporting each participant in the development of his or her own creative process, reflecting on individual and group needs, so that the work on the projects is consistent with each author.

Through the accompaniment throughout the program, the mentoring seeks to support each participant in the development of the narrative of the book, which is built through an individual and singular process in which experimentation with images, materials, texts and other elements unveil the book that each author seeks to create. This process allows each author an immersion in his or her work through experimentation to discover the enormous possibilities that the book offers, and through this work, to build his or her own book.

The advisory sessions will seek to create a common thread between the different workshops, supporting the participants in processing the various forms of work, comments, proposals and points of view of the guest professors, so that they do not lose the perspective of their own story and can take advantage of the various phases as vital parts of the very

Ana will participate in all modules throughout the program and will be available for individual consultations between meetings.
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ANA CASAS BRODA

ANA CASAS CASAS BRODA (Spain,1965) Lives in Mexico since 1974. She studied Visual Arts, photography and history in Spain, Austria, New York and Mexico. Her work focuses on the exploration of identity, memory and the photographic medium. He has published two photobooks in Spain: Álbum, (Mestizo, 2000), and Kinderwunsch, (La Fábrica, 2014), award for the best edited Art book of 2014 from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport in Spain. Both were made with the support of the Programa a Fomento a Proyectos y Coinversiones Culturales (Program for the Promotion of Cultural Projects and Coinvestments). She has had solo exhibitions in Mexico, Spain, Austria, Germany. Álbum and Kinderwunsch have been exhibited individually in numerous venues in Mexico, Spain, Austria, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, among others. 
Since 1983 she has participated in numerous solo exhibitions in Mexico and abroad. Member of the National System of Art Creators 2008-2012. Since 1990 she has been dedicated to organizing study programs, seminars, workshops, meetings and conferences on photography.  
Since 1990 he has been dedicated to organizing study programs, seminars, workshops, meetings and conferences on photography. Between 1990 and 1993 he worked in the Photography Area of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. From 1994 to 1998 he founded and coordinated the educational program of the Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City, creating a program of 300 workshops per year, including 10 to 12 international guests. Between 2002 and 2006 she coordinates the FotoGuanajuato program, collaboration of the CI with the Centro de Cultura de Gto, carrying out annually the Programa Integral de Fotografía and a festival with exhibitions, workshops, conferences and portfolio reviews. Between 2007 and 2015 he coordinates the Seminario de Fotografía Contemporánea of the Centro de la Imagen in collaboration with the Centro de las Artes de San Agistín, Oaxaca, which combines 11 students from diverse backgrounds on behalf of the CI and 11 scholarship holders from the southern states on behalf of CASA.
In 2012 she founded Hydra + Fotografía with Gabriela González Reyes and Gerardo Montiel Klint, a platform to generate projects related to the medium of photography, which has a gallery space, a bookstore specializing in photobooks, where educational programs, curatorial projects, publications, publication of photobooks, exhibitions, sale of work among others.
Since 2015 she has been in charge of the educational program of Hydra Fotografía, where he has developed different workshops, the central one being the Hydra Fotolibros program, which includes Incubadora de Fotolibros, workshops, conferences and dialogue forums. There have been 5 editions of the program since 2016, giving rise in 2018 to the Hydra publishing house, which has published about 30 photobooks developed in the program. With the publishing project participates since 2018 in important national and international fairs, such as Les Rencontre d' Arles, France, Paris Photo Grand Palais 2018, Polycopies 2018 and 2023, UNSEEN 2018, Vienna Book Fair 2021, Vienna Art Book Fair 2023, Santiago Foto 2020 and 2024, TINTA, Peru, 2019. And award winners such as: Les Rencontres d'Arles, Aperture-Paris Photo Award, PhotoEspaña, Poy Latam, Tinta (Peru), FELIFA, Argentina, among others. The photobooks are part of collections such as Guggenheim Foundation, NY Public Library, SD MOPA, MOMA, among others.
She has given workshops and lectures in different places in Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Latin American Forum of Photography, Sao Paulo, ENCMYK Photography Center of Montevideo, Uruguay, FIFV, International Photography Festival, Valparaiso, Chile, National University of Colombia, GLOBAL PHOTOPRAHIES, United Kingdom, Magnum Foundation, among others. She has been jury of different awards and scholarships in Mexico and abroad, and nominator for awards such as: Paul Huf Award, Foam, Netherlands, Voies Off Arles, Photo Vogue, 6x6 Global Talent World Press Photo, Getxo Photo, Grand Prix Vevey, Staraward de fotolibros, among others. She has been a juror for the Photobook Award at the PHotoEspaña 2015 festival, the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte 2012, and Jóvenes Creadores 2020, among others. She has also curated numerous exhibitions in Mexico and abroad.
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AGUSTÍN ESTRADA

(MEXICO) Born in Mexico City in 1957. He began his career as a photographer in 1977. He was coordinator of photography for the magazine Naturaleza; head of photography for the Instituto Nacional Indigenista and photographer for the Centro Nacional de Investigación de las Artes Plásticas. His work has been exhibited in more than 70 national and international group exhibitions; he has also had several solo exhibitions, one of them at the Media Center of Rice University in Houston, Texas. In 1999 he worked for the Professional Division of Kodak, Mexico, developing the contents of training programs in the digital area. After that work he has dedicated himself to teaching digital photography and other technical areas; teaching courses at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City; and in other institutions such as the Escuela de Diseño del INBA, the Sistema Nacional de Fototecas del INAH, the Centro de Experimentación Visual LMI, the Diplomado de fotografía digital en la Academia de San Carlos, UNAM; and currently at the Escuela de Restauración del INAH and the Seminario de Fotografía Contemporánea del Centro de la Imagen CNCA. He has been a guest professor at Rice University School of the Arts in Houston, Texas; at the School of Arts of the University of Xalapa and at the Talleres Fotográficos de Santa Fe program. In 2005 he obtained the Adobe Photoshop Expert Certificate.


AGUSTÍN ESTRADA

DIGITAL PROCESSES AND PRODUCTION 

Accompaniment throughout the program starting with an introduction to the essential elements of the use of digital book design programs, and subsequently, these sessions will be adapted to the needs of the group and each project.

 

In learning how to use the programs to make books you will learn the basic structure of the programs, and how to build a book from the beginning to the final file. In addition, you will be introduced to the use and handling of digital images in general, from capture, manipulation, to the specific use in digital programs for books.

 

Finally, you will learn the final adjustment of digital book files to be printed in different ways, from mock-ups to offset or other print media. This includes the compression of the prepress process that involves the adjustment of the image files for the printing profiles of the different processes.


Agustín will participate in almost all the modules, giving the group the information to work on their projects, from the processing of images, design tools and other essential elements of book making work.

PROGRAM

MODULES

FIRST MODULE

PHOTOBOOK PANORAMA: A LOOK AT THE ENORMOUS POSSIBILITIES OF THE MEDIUM


The panorama of the photobook today. History, background and diversity in the proposals of author's books in the contemporary world. Authors, publishers and proposals. Review of the projects from the point of view of editing and the construction of a discourse in the form of a photobook, with the aim of providing authors with a framework of the possibilities offered by this medium to facilitate the start of work on the projects. 

This module will emphasize the different ways of constructing a narrative and reflection on the content of the participants' projects, with the aim of creating a solid working base for the rest of the program.

BEATRIZ NOVARO 

IN SEARCH OF ONE OWN'S VOICE

Through different exercises and works, participants will be nourished by other genres and artistic experiences. 

The friction of languages as a detonating experience of new paths. It is not easy to know which of all the literary genres best suits my story.

In the workshop we will deepen in this search, energizing stagnant ideas that are not allowing us to advance in the work or, sometimes, even start it.

The literary image. The cinematographic image. The theatrical space. The plot and subplots. The order of the factors does alter the product. Construction of characters: poetic voice, theatrical and cinematographic characters. The combination of text and photography. Point of view in cinema, in narration, in theater.

This workshop provokes and accompanies authors in the process of exploring their imaginary in words and accessing unexplored spaces that enrich the development of projects in unique ways, according to their needs and themes. This process has been key in previous editions of Incubadora, becoming a backbone of the projects, expanding them in profound and surprising ways.

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PROGRAM


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LUKAS BIRK

Lukas Birk is a photographer, researcher and publisher. A storyteller. A conservator. A publisher. His work has been exhibited on 4 continents and has taken many different shapes. His multi-disciplinary projects have been turned into films, chronicles and books. A large part of Lukas’ work deals with archival material he collects while traveling or while delving into his own background. These archives are not ambiguous nor are they found images. Lukas researches his imagery through investigations and explorations very often in areas that have been affected by conflict and have not yet had the chance to present existing material in an artistic form. His narratives tackle recorded history by creating alternate storylines and fictional elements, alongside commonly accepted facts. Lukas founded artist exhibitions programs in China with the Austro Sino Arts Program, an artists in residency program in Indonesia (SewonArtSpace), co-founded the Afghan Box Camera Project and most recently the Myanmar Photo Archive, an endeavor to re-interpret and tell the story of Myanmar through collected photographs taken over the last 6 decades. The collection now holds 40.000 images. Fraglich Publishing, his own book imprint publishes projects by Lukas and selected work mainly focused around photographic history. It has received numerous awards.

PRESENTATION OF PROJECTS 

AND INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS

LUKAS BIRK

THE PHOTOBOOK AS STORYTELLING

Lukas Birk's work explores what a photobook can, should or could become. His work as an artist and editor is characterized by research into diverse cultures, especially in Asia, the relationship of their archives to identity and social and political transformations.


He has developed an extensive work of archival rescue, especially in Burma, from which he has created photobooks that involve the exploration of local materials and production, as well as the exploration of the different links that the photographic medium has with the community.


Emphasis will be placed on how visual, cultural and historical research can be combined to enhance different projects. The photobook as a form is not a workshop exclusively about photography, but about how to investigate narratives that allow the public a deeper understanding of the projects.


Through a collaborative process as part of the way of working, learning the structure, to then move away from it and find the space for the real generation of ideas, expressed through intuition and exchange, will share with the group a working system that allows each author to deepen the research, visual exploration and experimentation, Ramon Pez will advise each author in the development of his or her photobook. 

SECOND MODULE

THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE PHOTOBOOK AND ITS ARTICULATION

This module will explore the photobook from different perspectives, delving into the visual, narrative and material needs of the projects. 
At a time when participants have already advanced in the idea of their book, they will fully immerse themselves in the way of working that Yumi Goto has developed over the years and that will open up new ways of conceiving and producing books. They will review all the material, looking for the visual and narrative essence of the story. In addition, you will learn about materials, forms of binding and production.


DUNCAN WOOLDRIDGE 

PERSONAL NARRATIVES:
FROM NARRATION TO EDITING

This workshop will explore how shifting emphasis on a project - thinking about and describing a work through its process, its politics or philosophies, and through its attention to detail - can change editing and presentation decisions, and help inform how a project is presented publicly. 


Through a series of reframings-inspired by experimental literature-the workshop asks you to explore different versions of possible books. 

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DUNCAN WOOLDRIDGE

Reader in Photography, SODA Manchester School of Art, MMU. Duncan Wooldridge is anartist, writer and curator, and the founder of object | multiple, a platform and resource for artists multiples, living and working in United Kindom.
He is the author of ‘To Be Determined: Photography and the Future’ (SPBH Editions), and the co-editor of the forthcoming ‘Routledge Companion to Global Photographies’ (Routledge, September 2024).
Duncan is a Reader in Photography at the School of Digital Arts, Manchester School of Art, MMU.
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JUAN VALBUENA

(MADRID, SPAIN, 1973) has a degree in Theoretical Physics. Founding photographer of the agency NOPHOTO, director of the publishing house PHREE, teacher in different schools in Spain and Latin America and future CEO of the consultancy Puntería. His personal projects have to do with travel, territory and memory and are contaminated with other disciplines such as publishing, research and literature. He is particularly interested in working on stories about the relationship between human beings and photography, as well as exploring the limits of the documentary genre.
As an author he has received the Fotopres 01 Grant for his project Noray, the Art for Change 2009 Grant from “La Caixa” Foundation for his project Salitre and the Leonardo Grant from BBVA Foundation in 2016 for his project Ojos que no Ven, Corazón que no Siente. These three personal projects along with Un lugar de la Mancha and the still ongoing Dalind were part of his retrospective exhibition Donde Doblan los Mapas, which took place at the Sala Canal de la Comunidad de Madrid as part of the PhotoEspaña 2020 Festival.
As a publisher he has developed different projects since 2012 in his publishing house PHREE, specialized in documentary photography, travel books and family albums. Through it he has already published about forty titles that freely explore different formats on paper (boxes, books, fanzines, maps, magazines and newspapers) having received in recent years nominations, awards and mentions in the most important photography festivals in the world: Aperture Paris-Photo, Kassel PhotoBook Fest, Prix du Livre Arles and PHotoEspaña, where it was even awarded as outstanding publisher of the year 2019. Since 2023 it has launched the distributor MULA DE PAPEL, with the aim of bringing to Spain and Europe a selection of contemporary Latin American photobooks. At the same time, he offers tailor-made editorial consulting services for entities, companies or individuals through the PHREELANCE platform.
As a teacher and tutor he has accompanied, coordinated and helped develop more than two hundred individual and collective projects, both from his experience in various schools (EFTI, HYDRA, CAMPO.LAT, LENS, PHotoEspaña, EASD, FUGA, MISTOS), universities (Universidad de Navarra, Universidad Complutense and Universidad Carlos III Madrid), festivals (PHOTOESPAÑA, FIFV, VALONGO) and institutions (PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIAL VISION) and through the agency NOPHOTO. Every year he serves as a visiting editor in the Incubator course developed by HYDRA in CDMX and currently offers workshops and various formats of shared photography in schools, festivals and unconventional spaces.
As a consultant he is about to launch Puntería, the first consultancy in Spanish on point of view, data and story from which he defends the need to establish a responsible visual communication in professionals, media, brands, institutions and other entities.

THIRD MODULE

THE PANORAMA OF THE PHOTOBOOK, ITS POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES. 

The development of independent publishers, their way of working and their proposals. Why the photobook currently represents an important outlet for the work of authors. Conceptualization. The development of a book in which form and content build the work. 

This module will reflect on how the different formal decisions support the construction of the work and the transmission to the reader of what the author intends to express. We will analyze how each type of book and decisions such as form, print run, type of publication, among other factors, respond to the specific needs of the reader.


JUAN VALBUENA 

MAKING BOOKS

This module will address the self-publishing, publishing, production and marketing of photography books, as an exploration of the possibilities of the book as an optimal support for the dissemination of the photographic projects of the participants.
The objective is to help to achieve the best book project for each of the participants, according to the moment in which each proposal is. To this end, during the workshop we will work on the natural process of creation of the participants' photobooks and will support them in reflecting on key decisions, from the selection and editing of the images to the possible publication, distribution and sale of the product, paying special attention to the intermediate phase of the search for the so-called editorial gesture that favors the essential coherence between project and object.
Juan Valbuena will share his experience as a documentary photographer and author of several books of his own work, and as editor of PHREE, an independent publishing house he founded, specializing in documentary photography, travel books and family albums that has published more than 40 titles that have received in recent years nominations, awards and mentions in the most important photography festivals in the world.

FOURTH MODULE

DEEPENING IN THE NARRATIVE

In this module each author will reflect on the narrative of his or her photobook through different exercises that will help to deepen the projects. 

ERIK KESSELS 

PERSONAL NARRATIVES: 
FROM THE WORK TO ITS CIRCULATION

How to visually enhance and develop the discourse in book format. Visual articulation: Conceptualization. Understanding the nature of the work and the needs it poses. Elements: Image production. Construction of the discourse, narrative structure, edition and design elements. 


Distribution: Circuits and contemporary photobook market This module will explore the possibilities of construction of the work in relation to the design elements and the different decisions that will give formal and conceptual coherence to the development of the book.

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ERIK KESSELS

Erik Kessels is a Dutch artist, curator and communication designer, with great interest in art and photography. Erik Kessels is since 1996 Creative Partner of communications agency KesselsKramer in Amsterdam and London.

As an artist and curator Kessels has published over 100 books of his 're-appropriated' images and has written the international bestseller Failed It! and Complete Amateur.

He has taught at several Art Academies (Amsterdam, Milan, Toronto, Lausanne, Düsseldorf).

Kessels made and curated exhibitions such as Loving Your Pictures, Mother Nature, 24HRS in Photos, Album Beauty, Incomplete Encyclopedia of Touch, Muddy Dance, Shit and Unfinished Father. Currently he’s working on a long-term European art project called Europe Archive.

In 2010 Kessels was awarded with the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts, in 2016 nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. Until 2022-2023 his mid-career retrospective is shown in Turin, Düsseldorf and Budapest and he exhibited recently in the SFMOMA. He was called “a visual sorcerer” by Time Magazine and a “Modern Anthropologist” by Voque (Italia).

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MUSUK NOLTE

His work evolves between documentary and artistic photography to address social issues, such as memory and environmental depredation, and he studied professional photography and a specialization in contemporary photography at the Centro de la Imagen in Lima. He has been awarded in several competitions, such as the World Press Photo and the X National Photography Award “Eugene Courret” (2009), among others.

 He has been a grantee of the Sistema de Jovenes Creadores FONCA (2010), ON AIR - Krems Residency program (2007), World Press Photo Master Class - Latam (2015), Magnum Foundation's Emergency Fund (2017), The Elliott Erwitt HC7 Fellowship (2017) presented with solo exhibitions at Paris Photo (2017) and PhotoEspaña XX (2018), MAST Foundation Fellowship nominee (2019), Leica Oscar Barnack Award nominee (2020), Lightworks Artist-in-Residence and Bertha Foundation Fellow (2022) and National Geographic Society Explorer.

He has presented 18 solo exhibitions and has been part of several group exhibitions in museums, biennials and events such as Museo de Arte de Lima - MALI, Museo Metropolitano de Lima, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo - MAC,III Photoquai Biennial, Singapore Photography Biennale, lll Daegu Photo Biennale, Les Rencontres d'Arles, Angkor Photography Festival, PhotoEspaña XX and XXl, XV Venice Architecture Biennale, Fototeca Latinoamericana - FoLa, Paris Photo, among others.

He has published eight books: “PIRUW” (with Leslie Searles), “The First Stone”, “Flor de Toé” (with VS Photo),

“The Speed of Drift,” ‘Island Shadow,’ ‘The Resistance of Silence,’ ‘Geographies of Water,’ and ”The Belongings of Air.

Since 2013, Nolte is founder and editor of KWY Ediciones, an independent publishing house and visual narrative platform for Latin American authors. KWY's books have been part of major photobook festivals and gatherings such as Parisphoto, Polycopies, “Fenómeno Fotolibro” (CCCB), “Clap 10x10”(Aperture Foundation) and “MoMA's Favorite Photobooks”. To date he has edited more than 35 books by authors such as Juanita Escobar, Yael Martinez, Rodrigo Abd, Cesar Rodriguez, Mauricio Toro-Goya, Johis Alarcon, Antoine D'Agatha, among others. His books have twice been finalists for the Aperture Award, twice winners of the FELIFA award. In addition, they are part of collections and libraries such as MoMa, Cornell University, UC San Diego, among others. In 2022, KWY received the Michael Canne Award from Printed Matter.

Nolte has been a jury member at the World Press Photo, Gabo Prize 2024, POY Latam, FELIFA, among others, and has led workshops at various festivals and training spaces in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and Spain.

Recently, he co-directed the cinematography of the film “Diógenes”, premiered at the Malaga Film Festival in 2023 (Leonardo Barbuy, 2023).

FIFTH MODULE


MUSUK NOLTE 

PERSONAL NARRATIVES: 
FROM TCREATION TO CIRCULATION

This workshop will explore the book as a vessel for multiple narratives, drawing from Musuk's experience as a documentary photographer and his extensive and rich career as editor and creative director of KWY, one of the most innovative publishers in Latin America. The titles published by KWY address political and social issues that are deeply rooted in the present. 

Projects are developed by considering the limitations of available resources as a creative trigger, finding conceptual solutions that make projects feasible and, in turn, interact with the context, serving as a window to open spaces for reflection and dialogue.

Participants will engage in a critical review of narratives with Musuk, as well as explore the best options for materials and production methods that align with each project.

NINFA ALVARADO & 

SOL MARTÍNEZ 


BINDING FOR PHOTOBOOKS:
DIFFERENT BINDING TECHNIQUES, FROM STITCHING TO STORYTELLING TO EDITING

This workshop is based on providing the authors participating in the program with knowledge about the structure of books, binding techniques from basic to advanced. During the different modules of the program there will be several sessions of the bookbinders Ninfa and Sol with the group to learn the structures from basic to advanced binding. 


Learning about the material possibilities of bookbinding will allow the development of the narrative of the books according to the intersection of materiality, structure and mechanics of photobooks. Authors will learn about the basic tools for photobook making, material and structural options, and as projects develop, faculty will support the group and individual authors as their photobooks require. 


By the end of the program, the authors should have learned the structure of their book, the different possibilities for its binding and the best choice of materials and finishes. In addition to producing a final finished layout, authors are expected to be able to make informed decisions for the production process of their book. 

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NINFA ALVARADO & SOL MARTÍNEZ

NINFA ALVARADO | (MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, 1978) I studied high school at the Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades Azcapotzalco where I got involved in the work with social and gender perspective, collaborating with different student groups, inside and outside the school. Subsequently, I entered the Civil Engineering career at ENEP Acatlan. In 2005 I began to train in handmade bookbinding, and although this training has remained constant to date, during 2010 I decided to do this work of handmade bookbinding for individuals where I offer services for the realization of binding in general contemporary and antique, albums, photobooks, conservation and photographic boxes, books of the shadows, consulting and binding classes for individuals and groups, and I have participated with my books in two exhibitions in CDMX. Along with this work since 2003 I collaborated in a participatory intervention project in the highlands of the State of San Luis with the collective 5th Brigade ¡ay Carmela! that later in 2011 would result in the formation of the A.C. Ofrenda Restableciendo El Equilibrio of which I am a founding member and is dedicated to social work, participating in different projects in the same area of the altiplano. My work within this A.C. is administrative and operative in volunteer work and as a workshop leader in gender issues. 

SOL MARTÍNEZ | Ethnologist and bookbinder, she has a long experience in education and teaching that has led her to work with various groups. Since 2006 she ventured into the world of bookbinding when she was in charge of a school library, between 2010 and 2013 she collaborated as an adjunct professor in anthropology subjects at the National School of Anthropology and History, in parallel she specialized as a bookbinder with professionals in the restoration and binding of art in Mexico. The combination of her academic training and trade (bookbinding) has opened doors for her to develop collective work in projects on various social issues, such as: human rights with children and adolescents, mental health with schizophrenia patients and linguistic revitalization with indigenous groups. From 2008 to date she has taught workshops on bookbinding techniques in civil associations, private workshops, schools of alternative cutting, local government cultural institutions and community centers(Casa Refugio, Centro Vlady, AFAPE, Libellus encuadernación, Casa Indra ,Cultura Tlalpan, Secretaría de Cultura, Hydra-fotografía, adjunct workshop leader atGimnasio de Arte y cultura). Since 2018 she entered the world of photobook binding, collaborating for the first time with the projectIncubadora de Hydra+fotografía. She currently runs the brand Códice Sol,Artisanal bookbinding and conservation of books.

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JAN ROSEEL

Born in Brussels, Belgium (1979). Born in Brussels, Belgium (1979). Jan Rosseel holds an MFA in Visual Arts, School of Arts KASK & Conservatory, Ghent, Belgium and a BA Design from the Royal academy of arts in The Hague, The Netherlands. He also studied photojournalism at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark and Chinese language and Culture at Leiden University, The Netherlands and Shandong University, China. He was the first artist to be awarded a research fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (NIAS).

His work is best described as visual storytelling, between narration and documentation. He works as a collector of memories using photography, video and objects. The starting point of his research-based projects are historical events and the notion of memory. Stories that do not only reconstruct historical events but stories that also ask questions about the reliability of our memory and our brain. He works as an investigator using methods of scientific research and journalism to build a narrative where fact and fiction coexist. 

Since graduating he has been nominated for the Prix Pictet, Steenbergen Stipendium, Dutch Doc Award, Photo Academy Award, and was selected as FOAM Magazine Talent 2014.

Next to photography, Jan Rosseel also works together with other photographers and artists, creating concepts for photography books, exhibitions and ideas for new ways of visual storytelling. He has held workshops in Tokyo, Oslo, Akara, Ioannina, Antwerp and Luxemburg.

Available for assignments worldwide. His pictures have been published in the New York Times, Le Monde, IMA Magazine, Esquire Russia, l’echo, De Volkskrant / Volkskrant magazine, Vrij Nederland, de Morgen, Le Vif, de Standaard / DS Magazine, De Tijd, P/f, PhotoQ, GUP Magazine, Huffington Post and FOAM Magazine and Stern.

He was a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and has been a guest lecturer/mentor at Photography Studies College Melbourne, Bilder Nordic in Oslo, the Master of Photography AKV St. Joost in Breda and MA Photography Luca School of Arts in Brussels.

SIXTH MODULE

JAN ROSEEL

THE BOOK AS CONCEPT AND OBJECT


Together with the participants, Jan will go through their projects and reflect on the narratives created in previous modules, in order to deepen in their narratives and take coherent decisions that help them to finish their books.
The main stages of book production, from the concept to completion of a dummy will be reviewed. Challenging the authors to think outside their framework and create a unique object that complements the photographers’ vision.
The goal is to learn all the practical aspects of book making and how to problem solve the medium shift between singular images to the book as an object in the current environment of photography.
Subjects will be the editing and compiling process, concept development, design issues like choice of size, paper, grid and typography, and the guidance of the printing process. The workshop is designed for photographers who are interested in working on a concept, edit and sequence for their books.
During the workshop, Jan will share his experience in conceptual work with photography books and photography book production, combining the points of view of photographer and graphic designer.
The workshop will focus on enforcing the process of storytelling with a personal vision – exploring ways to incorporate your personal vision and voice into your work. We will work on the editing process, conceptualising ideas and presentation.
The workshop will confront and help deal with your fears, strengths, anxieties and weaknesses both as a photographer and person. It will explore the process of generating ideas and refining concepts in the pursuit of a successful publication.
Through individual and group discussions and critique of current work and interests, students will examine the strengths of their ideas and intentions, develop skills to better conceptualise satisfying and sustaining projects and realise the potential of their ideas and photography.
Feedback is crucial for the development of each project and therefore participants are encouraged to play an active role in discussions. Constructive criticism, honesty and fairness towards each other are key words to get the best out of each other.
The program is subject to change, depending on the needs and development of the projects. Expect to make long days if needed, push your boundaries and explore new ways of storytelling. Get inspired by your peers and be a source of inspiration to others. Share your ideas and knowledge. Experimenting is encouraged.

SEVENTH MODULE

CONCEPTUALIZATION AND PRODUCTION OF THE PHOTOBOOK: DESIGN, MATERIALS, FORMATS, FORMS OF PRODUCTION 


Materials and printing: the possibilities that material and technique offer to the conceptualization and practical construction of the photographic discourse in the book. Binding. Costs. 

In this module, participants will deepen the narrative of their projects, while experimenting with different materials and forms of production.


VERA YIJUN ZHOU 

 

EDITING, NARRATIVES AND FORM OF PHOTOBOOKS: 

A CRITICAL VIEW


The workshop begins with the exchange of my knowledge and experience in materialization and design, and towards the finalization of the idea of making and bringing the concepts of the creators to a complete project in photobooks.


Vera will accompany the authors, offering support in matters of conceptualization and design of the projects, so that the narrative, form, materials, formats and production of the books are integrated during the development process of each project, individually and as a group.  


The goal is for the author to understand the physical structure of their book, make informed decisions about each step of the production process and how to finish the files so that the printing process at the printer's works. 


You will learn the features necessary to close the design file in a way that suits different printing presses and production forms. .

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VERA YIJUN ZHOU

Vera Yijun Zhou is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, and designer whose work is focused on the production and circulation of images in the new media environment. Her work and research deconstruct and translate the symbolic language created by conceptual theories, by documenting and analyzing individuals’ narratives. Vera was born and raised in China in the early page of its globalization and moved to the Netherlands at the onset of the pandemic. Her work follows and reflects the multiple social contradictions of the post-globalization era she is experiencing, she uses the consumption and circulation of images as a metaphor to capture the alienated reality within and underlying images of neoliberalism, identity politics, and censorship surveillance.

As an art practitioner, Vera’s work forms in multiple shapes as paintings, publications, still and moving images, and installations. She graduated from the Master of Photography & Society at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Hague in 2022. And her work is awarded the 12th Three Shadows Photography Award (TSPA) in 2019, Design Regulation Grant by Creative NL Stimulerings Fonds 2023, Rotterdam Government Cultural Fonds, Talents Development 2024-2025, Creative NL Stimulerings Fonds etc. 

As a graphic designer and publisher, Vera has diverse experiences working with different institutions and artists; she co-founded the photobook publication studio Imageless (2014-2019), and she worked as the graphic designer for the magazine Leap, the Art Newspaper China. She participated in designing publications for Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Her design works have been presented at Art Basel, Paris Photo, Photo Shanghai, Frieze London, and the Guggenheim Museum. Vera participated in Incubadora 2023 and supported the design of several previous books published by Hydra: ABSENCE by Mariceu Erthal, UN-IDENTIFIED by Annick Donkers, PHANTOM LIMB by Rosalba Bustamante and ÁNGEL MIGUEL by Isabel Moreno.

EIGHTH MODULE

DESIGN, MATERIALS, FORMATS, FORMS OF PRODUCTION 
Materials and printing: the possibilities that material and technique offer to the conceptualization and practical construction of the photographic discourse in the book. Binding. Costs. 

In this module, participants will experiment with different materials and forms of production, with the aim of making final decisions about their books.

This module takes place between group sessions, individual sessions and distance meetings with some of the program's professors.

Closing processes.
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GUEST PROFESSORS

LECTURES AND EXTRA SESSIONS WITH ONLINE PROFESSORS
Throughout the program we will have sessions with guests from different countries and specialties who will participate in various ways in the program. 

These sessions will have a cost of $ 25us dls each one. 


And can be joined by the participants of Incubadora

+ 20 extra participants

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REQUIREMENTS, COSTS AND REGISTRATION

FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED IN DECEMBER 2025

REQUIREMENTS

To apply for the program it is necessary to complete two stages: 

I. Send to enlace@hydra.lat the completed downloadable questionnaire and a selection of at least 15 but no more than 30 images of a photobook project. It is not a prerequisite to have a finished project or an advanced photobook idea. You can send images from a series, photobook proposals, images and texts. The purpose of this material is to present the author and his/her work and the fundamental selection will depend on each case. The files must be named and numbered: 01_name_of_the_author_series_and must be sent in a size no larger than 1920x1280 px at a resolution of 72 dpi in jpg format. 

II. Shortlisted authors will be notified by e-mail and will have an interview via ZOOM with a selection committee. 

III. A group of 15 authors will be selected for the program. Authors will be selected to form a diverse group whose collaboration will enrich the work process throughout the program. The decision of the selection committee will be final.


MODULES OF THE WORKSHOPS

I. All selected participants will be required to sign a letter of commitment to participate in the entire program and various other activities. 

II. Eight live workshops will be held at Hydra. Initially, it may be decided with some participants to attend specific online modules only in case it is essential for reasons of force majeure. However, participants are requested to attend at least 5 of the 9 modules, determined by Hydra according to the content of the workshop. 

III. There is the possibility of changes in the dates due to the needs of the teachers, which will be notified to the participants at least two months in advance. 

IV. Hydra will provide support and the use of inkjet and laser printers for experimentation with materials, printing, binding in sessions throughout the program. Printing must be paid for by the participants. Binding tools will be offered for sale by suppliers at special prices.  In the case of distance participation in any of the modules, each author should look for the best options in the place where he/she lives. 

 V. In the case of workshops taught in other languages, Hydra will provide translation support to participants who require it, but there will be no professional translators.

OTHER ONLINE SESSIONS

The program will combine 20-hour  live workshops with other online sessions: 

I. The online sessions will be scheduled on days and times according to the availability of the professors and according to the group. 

II. The online sessions may vary according to the needs of the group.

III. There will be online group sessions, as well as individual sessions to follow up on each photobook project.

DUMMIES AND FINAL PRINTING OF PHOTOBOOKS

I. Each author commits to print a dummy for the program module and a final one at the end of the program. Each one will have to find the best establishments to do so. 

II. Hydra will offer access to information on various types of materials for the realization of the dummies and photobooks, such as papers, experimental production processes, as well as contacts with suppliers and production options. 

III. The goal of the program will be to end up with a dummy as close as possible to the final photobook. 

IV.. The FINAL GOAL to be achieved is to find the resources to print the photobooks by our Hydra publishing project, but Hydra is not committed to print the photobooks through its publishing house, but will look for the best options to achieve this on a case-by-case basis. 

REGISTRATION AND FEES

INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED IN DECEMBER 2025

GRANTS AND PAYMENT FACILITIES

INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED IN DECEMBER 2025

PHOTOBOOKS PRODUCED BY HYDRA

In the case of photobooks produced under the Hydra publishing label, we are committed to support the authors throughout the production process, and to collaborate with them in the dissemination, presentation at fairs, festivals and national and international competitions. 

The terms of the agreement for publication will be made with each author independently and with variable conditions depending on the case.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information please contact us at enlace@hydra.lat or call 5568199872 from Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00 to 19:00 hours. For questions about the content and system of the program you can call and ask for Ana Casas Broda.


OTRAS EDICIONES DE INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS

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INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS 2023 EN LÍNEA | 
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INCUBADORA DE FOTOLIBROS 2019 PRESENCIAL 

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