Sean Farran is the Business Director of Unseen, the leading platform for contemporary photography. Exclusively focusing on what’s new in the world of photography, Unseen provides a channel for up-and-coming talent to showcase their work, as well as presenting the newest work by established artists. Unseen is an all year round platform with physical events throughout the year and with the main event, Unseen Amsterdam, returning for its seventh edition in September 2018.
Born in South Africa, Sean grew up between the UK and the South Pacific. After finishing the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) he completed three masters degrees looking at art history, law, business, the cultural landscape and social psychology. With a developing eye for business initiatives he won several awards for social entrepreneurship whilst studying at The London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE), and commenced his career in the auction world at Christie’s where he was involved in representing clients’ interests in the disposal of chattels in lieu of tax duties to the benefit of public collections. Subsequently working for the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council, Sean advised the then Secretary of State for Culture on the lending, public purchase and exhibition of pre-eminent works of art.
With a keen interest in engaging the public via creative collaborations, he then oversaw the VIP Programme of the Johannesburg Art Fair before being employed by the global marketing, events and talent management company WME | IMG (now Endeavor). Passionate about the role the arts play within society, Sean joined Unseen as its Business Director in 2017 where he continues to generate a range of initiatives to bring audiences together in celebration of the medium of photography.
About ‘Unseen‘:
Unseen, the leading platform dedicated to contemporary photography and emerging artists, launches a disruptive digital platform committed to introducing brand new, unseen, bodies of work by today’s most exciting artists working with the medium of photography. Collaborating with galleries and an ecosystem of photography professionals, Unseen aims to break new ground by creating a dynamic environment that connects its artists to its audience and vice versa. Simply titled Unseen Platform, the new and engaging medium amplifies the careers of boundary-pushing artists, by sharing their stories, and providing fresh perspectives and insights into the world around us and the future(s) of tomorrow.
Hi Sean, please introduce us to Unseen Platform.
Hi! Absolutely, Unseen Platform is where you get to see the latest Premieres – project launches – from artists working at the frontier of contemporary photography. It is an extension of what we strive for at Unseen Amsterdam – great photographic artworks by some of the most dynamic artists of our age accompanied by informed and dynamic content and presentation formats.
How do you hope the readers will react to Unseen Platform, ideally?
We hope that visitors to Unseen Platform will be inspired to explore the featured artists in further depth. There are some really phenomenal artists out there employing the medium in such diverse ways that it can really resonate with everyone. Highlighting artists’ explorations and the relevance of those explorations in society is at the heart of what we do, and we hope to do our small part in sharing these stories with the world in a meaningful but enjoyable way.
Did you have any specific references or sources of inspiration in mind while working on Unseen Platform?
With 7 years of running a major event, Unseen Amsterdam, we have a really great community of artists, gallerists, curators, writers and professionals. Unseen Platform has been inspired by the community and created in close consultation with them. Unseen is a strong brand but it was never built on its own – It’s a global community and every player in that community is a continually evolving point of reference. Unseen Platform is thus an evolution of the Unseen ecosphere, and will no doubt continue to evolve as the community grows and its needs change.
Being a photography magazine we are living in close contact with the images, analyzing every aspect. What is the function of photography for Unseen Platform? What do you want to express through the images?
Our economy and society are based on information technology. This constantly changing environment challenges traditional means of communication and requires us to question images in order to navigate through the hyper mediated reality. Photographers and artist are powerful key figures within this. They are more than image makers, they have become storytellers, writers, publishers and curators. Therefore, Unseen Platform acknowledges photography as one of the most important ways to communicate within todays digital age. Projects featured on Unseen Platform have the function to investigate, reflect or/and comment on social and political issues.
When developing the platform and it’s editorials we were are asking ourself what function we can serve for the medium. It is a digital extension of what we build the past 7 years with Unseen Amsterdam and our Magazine. We aim to nurture talent, evoke conversation and give visibility to important images aofmd image makers of today. By following the platform the visitor can learn more about the artists behind the work and explore the worlds they operate in. We focus on artists operating at the frontier of the medium, and so show where the medium is now and where it is going; the world it represents, and the world(s) it presents.
What is truly beautiful? Don’t think about it too much, reply by instinct
Haha, life.
