As Editor-in-Chief of Amsterdam’s Foam Magazine since 2012, Elisa Medde has redefined photography journalism through her interdisciplinary approach. Combining art historical rigor with material sensitivity, she champions work that interrogates power structures through visual means.
We’ve followed Elisa Medde’s work as a defining force in contemporary photography and visual culture. With a career spanning editorial leadership, curatorial innovation, and academic mentorship, Medde has shaped global conversations about image-making’s role in reflecting and challenging societal structures.
Medde’s journey began with academic roots in Art History and Iconology at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, where she developed her signature approach to analyzing images as cultural artifacts. Early experiences in paper restoration and darkroom work forged her material sensitivity, later manifesting in Foam Magazine’s tactile design philosophy.
Medde’s 2024 analysis of Batniji’s glitched video call documentation from Gaza transcends traditional art criticism. By contextualizing the work within Israel’s 2023-24 bombardment that killed 26,700 Palestinians, she exposes how technological fragmentation mirrors geopolitical rupture. Her methodology combines formal analysis of the book’s sequencing with firsthand accounts from Medical Aid Palestine workers, creating a vital bridge between aesthetic theory and humanitarian advocacy.
In this 2017 interview, Medde articulates her editorial philosophy of “temporal elasticity” - creating content that gains relevance over years rather than chasing trends. She deconstructs Foam’s approach to balancing thematic urgency with archival durability, using Alinka Echeverria’s decade-long evolution as a case study. The piece remains essential reading for understanding slow journalism in visual media.
Medde’s 2022 podcast series with Tanja Ostojic and Federica Chiocchetti redefined institutional critique in photography. By contrasting Ostojic’s performance art with Chiocchetti’s photo-text theories, she created a dialectical framework for analyzing power dynamics in visual representation. The series’ impact is measured by its adoption in ECAL’s photography curriculum.
Medde’s restoration background makes her particularly receptive to stories examining physical/digital intersections. Successful pitches might explore artists using AI glitch techniques on analog film or projects addressing data storage as cultural preservation. Her analysis of Batniji’s work demonstrates this dual focus.
With her Salwa Foundation work, Medde prioritizes narratives challenging Western-centric visual paradigms. A 2023 study showed 68% of her published artists come from Global South regions. Pitches should emphasize indigenous image-making techniques or postcolonial reinterpretations of archival material.
Medde’s best writing contextualizes personal visions within societal transformations. The Foam Magazine 53rd issue analysis linked fashion photography to decolonial economic models. Effective pitches will demonstrate how a photographer’s practice reflects broader movements in labor, migration, or climate justice.
Her CRITICAE Masterclass emphasizes hybrid methodologies. Recent successful pitches paired photographers with sound artists creating multi-sensory installations. Medde particularly values projects incorporating academic research from non-art fields like urban planning or cognitive science.
While open to new technologies, Medde critiques gear-focused narratives. A rejected 2024 pitch about 8K drone photography failed to address surveillance capitalism implications. Successful proposals balance technical innovation with critical theory frameworks.
“Foam Magazine under Medde’s leadership has become the Rosetta Stone of visual literacy in our fragmented age.” - David Campany, 2023
Recognizing Medde’s decade-long transformation of Foam into a hybrid publication/art object. The jury noted her innovative use of 14 different paper stocks in Issue #58 to physically manifest thematic complexity.
Awarded for the “Adorned” issue exploring fashion as cultural armor. Medde’s editorial framework connected haute couture to protest movements in Iran and Sudan through 23 photographer profiles.
Supported her exhibition “Industrial Eyes,” which reinterpreted factory photography through feminist and queer theory lenses. The show traveled to 7 countries and influenced EU cultural policy on deindustrialization narratives.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Photography, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
