DAYA CAHEN
Dutch / American
Born in Amsterdam, 1969
ART EDUCATION
2002-2006 Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam
Department of photography
1989-1994 University of Amsterdam (UVA)
MA European Studies, NL
GRANTS / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS
2026 Pordenone Film Festival, IT
winner ‘Images of Courage Award’
FIFDH Human Rights Festival, Geneve, CH
International Focus Competition
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival, GR,
Open Horizon Competition
One World Prague, CZ,
Right to Know Competition
2025 IDFA, Amsterdam, Frontlight Competition &
Nomination Best Dutch Film
2024 Mondriaan Fund, project grant
2022 Mondriaan Fund, Kunstenaar Basis
Grant Stichting Niemeijer Fonds
Grant Elisabeth Vermaat Müller Fonds
2021 Grant AMARTE Fonds
2012 Dutch Film Festival
Nomination Gouden Kalf(Short Film)
Mondriaan Fund, project grant
Longlist Prix Pictet Photography Prize
2010 Mondriaan Fund, project grant
Dutch Film Fund, Grant
2009 Mondriaan Fund, starter stipend
2007 Berlin International Film Festival
Nomination Golden Bear(Short film)
Mondriaan Fund, starter stipend
Dutch Film Fund, Grant
EXHIBITIONS & SCREENINGS
2025 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Humlebæk, DK, New Works
Eye Film Museum, Amsterdam, NL. Screening
GresArt, Bergamo, IT. DE BELLO.
Notes on War and Peace
2024 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Humlebæk, DK. Daya Cahen, Samlingen
BASE Milano, IT. Milan
Video Sound Art. CASE
2023 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Humlebæk, Denmark. Nashi
2022 June Art Fair with Stigter van Doesburg
Duo show with Melissa Gordon, Basel, CH
Curating as a political act, Kurzfilmtage
Winterthur, DE
Eye Film Museum, screenings, Amsterdam
2021 Galeria Czynna (Active/Open Gallery)Lodz, PL
Przy okazji / By the way
2020 PlaatsMaken, Arnhem. NL. Mars! Screening.
2019 Photo Festival Naarden, NL
Dutch Masters & Marvellous Misfits.
2018 38CC, Delft, NL. First Decade.
CDF, Center for Documentary Film Jihlava, CZ
ArtDocFest, ArtDoc.Media, Moscow, Russia
2017 Knoll Galeria Budapest, HR
The Age of Nation
Laborneunzehn, Berlin, DE
Beyond the surface
Apartman Project Gallery, Berlin, DE
Verlorene Visionen
Schmallfilmtage Dresden, DE. Teenage Kicks
Docudays, Human Rights Festival,
Kiev, Ukraine
2016 galerie Tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam
Through the Barricades
38CC, Delft, NL. Picture Tomorrow
Voormalige gevangenis Wolvenplein, NL
Hacking Habitat
Knoll Galerie, Vienna, AUS.The Age of Nation
2015 Kunsthal Citroën, Amsterdam, NL. SCENE
Budapest Kiscelli National Musem &
Budapest Gallery, HR. Private Nationalism
Center for Media and Art, Karlsruhe, DE
About Work - about life. Women Perspectives
Knockdown Center, NY, USA
Pressing issues in Central European Contemporary Art
Kunstverein Amsterdam, NL. Salon Hang
Open Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
Fear. Origins of the State
2014 Gallery of Contemporary Art Bunkier Sztuki,
Krakow, PL Kalashnikov
Divus Gallery, Prague, CR.
Private Nationalism.
Ostrale International Exhibition of
Contemporary Arts, Dresden, DE.
Kunsthalle Kosice, SLOVAKIA.
Privatny Nacionaltzmus
M21, Pecs, HR. Private Nationalism.
Motorenhalle Projektzentrum, Dresden, DE
Arbeiten von Daya Cahen
2013 Looiersgracht 60. Amsterdam, NL
Chambres des Caneaux
Voormalig Ziekenhuis Den Bosch, NL. KW14
The glorious Rise and Fall….
Castrum Peregrini, Amsterdam, NL.
Shapeshifting
Gaite Lyrique, Paris, FR.
M comme manipulation
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, DE
Screening Rencontres Internationales
Paris/Berlin
La Pagode, Paris, FR. Cine-Histoire
Hermitage Amsterdam, NL.
Tell me how you see it
2012 Birth of a Nation. SOLO. Lumen/Labor
Gallery, Budapest, HR
Birth of a Nation. SOLO. Flatland Gallery,
Utrecht, NL
Int. Festival of Photography, Lodz, PL
Picturing the difference
Palais de Tokyo, Paris, FR. Screening.
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, DE.
Transmediale
Reina Sofia National Museum, Madrid, ES
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid
f/stop festival for photography, Leipzig, DE.
Histories of now
2011 National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts,
Taichung, Taiwan. Videonale.
Stedelijk Museum ‘s Hertogenbosch, NL.
VoTH
Dutch Photo Museum Rotterdam, NL.
ANGRY
Kunstmuseum Bonn, DE. Videonale
Centre Pompidou, Paris, FR. Screening
at Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin
Dumbo Arts Center, New York, USA
Video Dumbo. Screening
Donetsk Art Point, Ukraine. Kushat' podano/
Dinner is served
BWA Contemporary Art Gallery, Katowice, PL.
Videonale
Yaroslavl Art Museum, RUSSIA. VoTH
Castrum Peregrini, Amsterdam, NL
You Are All Individuals!
Esc Art Centre, Lviv, UKRAINE.
Inaugural exhibition
2010 Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Russia.
VoTH.
NCCA Jekaterinburg/Krasnoyarsk Museum
Centre & National Gallery of Art, Kazan,
RUSSIA. VoTH.
Eye Film Biennial Amsterdam,
KunstENhuis, NL Film3
Wiels, Brussels, BE.
Communisms Afterlifes. Screening
Centre Pompidou, Paris, FR. Screening.
La dérive
2009 Arsenale Novissimo tijdens Venice Biennale.
Venice, IT. Rietveld Arsenale
MK Galerie, Berlin, DE. Archivo
ACF Amsterdam Center of Photography,
Amsterdam, NL. Work in Progress
Institut Néerlandais, Parijs, FR. Screening.
Portraits Russes
Intermediae, Madrid, ES. Screening.
Indirect Speech
SMART Project Space, Amsterdam, NL.
Performing Evidence
2008 Kunsthaus Essen, DE. New Visions
De Appel, Amsterdam, NL. Screening.
Distorted Fabric
Platform Garanti, Istanbul. Screening.
Distorted Fabric
De Boterhal, Hoorn, NL. Archivo
Borderline, Bejing, CHINA. Distorted Fabric
2007 outLINE, Amsterdam. Doublespeak, SOLO
Photo Museum, The Hague, NL.
Among Photographers
Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, GR.
Intothepill
2006 Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, NL.
Final Works
FOAM, NL. Gerrit Rietveld Academie
FILM FESTIVALS (SELECTION)
2026 Thessaloniki Documentary Filmfestival,
Open Horizon Competition, GR
FIFDH, International Film Festival and
Forum on Human Rights, Geneva CH
International Focus Competition
Pordenone Film Festival, IT.
Winner ’Image of Courage Award’, Italian Critics Award
One World Film Festival, Prague, CZ
Right to Know Competition
2025 IDFA, World premiere ‘Eyes of the Machine’
Frontlight & Nomination Best Dutch Film
2023 Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, DE
2022 Int Bunker Film Festival, Ventimiglia, IT
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, DE.
Special programme, Re: Dear Oleksiy
2017 Docudays, International Human Rights
Documentary Film Festival, Kiev, Ukraine
2015 Ukraine International Documentary Film
Festival, Kiev
2013 Shortcutz by Eye Film Institute,
Mediamatic, Amsterdam
Hamburg International Short Film Festival
2012 International Film Festival Rotterdam, NL
Nederlands Filmfestival, Utrecht, NL
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Bucharest Int. Experimental Film Festival, RO
Festival Signes des Nuits, Paris, FR
Trento Film Festival, Bolzano, IT
Glasgow Film Festival
2011 International Film Festival Rotterdam, NL
CPH-DOX, DK
Bosch Art Film, Verkadefabriek Den Bosch, NL
Bucharest Int. Experimental Film Festival, RO
Hamburg International Short Film Festival
Jihlava International Doc Film Festival, CR
Art Cinema Film Festival, Moscow, Russia
2010 IDFA Paradocs, NL
Bucharest Experimental Film Festival, RO
Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla, ES
Gdansk Doc Film, Polen, Gdansk, PL
2009 International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/
Madrid, FR, ES, DE
Nederlands Filmfestival, Utrecht, NL
Sarajevo International Film Festival, BH
Warsaw International Film Festival, PL
Dallas Video Festival, USA
Indie Lisboa, Lisbon, PT
International Festival of Short Films and
New Images, Rome, IT
International Art Documentary Festival, Moscow
Hamburg International Short Film Festival
Festival Internacional de Filmets de Badalona,
Barcelona, ES
Rio de Janeiro Int. Short Film Festival
Iowa City International Film Festival, USA
Tirana International Film Festival, Albania
2008 IDFA Paradocs, NL
International Film Festival Teheran, IRAN
ATA Film & Video Festival, San Francisco
2007 Berlin International Film Festival, DE
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
2006 IDFA Paradocs, NL
COLLECTIONS
The Louisiana Musem of Modern Art, Humlebæk, DK
Private Collections
TEACHING / LECTURES / OTHER
2012-NOW Tutor Gerrit Rietveld Academie,
Amsterdam, NL. Photography dept
2014-2021 Tutor Fine Arts department, ArtEZ
Arnhem, NL. AV and Photography
2026 Podcast 'Festival van de Gelijkheid',
double interview with Aernaud
de Decker, Gent, BE. on Spotify
2025 Artist Talk Festival van de Gelijkheid,
Gent, BE
2020 Photography projects with asylum seekers
with Stichting De Vrolijkheid
2012-2018 assistant artist to Aernout Mik
(research & production)
2016 38CC, Delft, NL, Picture Tomorrow
2015 ArtEZ Art Academy, Arnhem, NL
2014 Latvian Contemporary Art Center
Projektzentrum für zeitgenössische
Kunst, Dresden, DE. Lecture
2013 Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam, NL.
Photographers Talk
Ruhruniversitat Bochum, DE.
Hermitage Amsterdam, NL.
Tell me how you see it
2012 De Balie, Amsterdam, NL
Welcome Back Putin
2009 Institut Néerlandais, Paris, FR.
Portraits Russes
2004-2006 assistant to photographer Koos Breukel
2005 assistant to photographer
Rineke Dijkstra (Park Series)
PUBLICATIONS AND REVIEWS
2026 Eyes of the Machine, cinematorgrafi.it,
recensione,IT, Lorenzo Ciofani dd 27-03-2026
l Messagero,IT.
Sopravvissuti, l’umanità disumana e la logica
del potere, Gian Paolo Polesini, dd 26-03-2026
2025 ‘So scary, So beautiful’. Louisiana Channel,
Artist portrait
Podcast STRAND, The Story of an artist’ with
Daya Cahen, dd 19-4-2025
NRC, interview. ‘In Xinjiang komen studenten
geboeid …’, Wieland van Dijk, 14-11-2025
Het Parool, ‘Het beste van IDFA’, review,
Jan Pieter Ekker, dd 11-11-2025
Met het oog op morgen, radio interview,
NPO Radio 1, dd 16-11-2025
De Groene Amsterdammer, review,
Jan van der Putten
SEE NL, Idfa interview, Nick Cunningham
2022 Stars in the making? Here are 6 breakout
artists to watch from Art Basel 2022,
Artnet News, Vivienne Chow
The Five Best Booths at the June Art Fair,
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTNews
De Parallelle Wereld van Poetin’s jeugdbeweging
NRC Handelsblad CS, essay by Maria Barnas
Of Wij, De Gids, Maria Barnas, 2022/2
M, talkshow, interview, KRO/NCRV
Villa BvD, Radio 1, radio interview
Spijkers met Koppen, BNN/VARA, radio interview
2016 Wenn Nationalhelden knutschen, Der Standard,
Christa Benzer, Austria, 19-6-2016
Own identity at the price of other, Lorenzo Pereira,
review, Widewalls
Nemzet nemzet hátán, Dunszt.sk kultmag,
Csansa Máté, review, dd 10-08-2016
2013 Het Parool, Wie zijn we als we het over we hebben,
Maria Barnas, 20-4-2013
Onderbuikadres, Sascha Bronwasser, review, VK
Tentoonstelling in voormalig onderduikpand
Sander Pleij, Vrij Nederland dd 07-06-2013
2012 Gedrilde meisjes, review, Sandra Smets, NRC
Strakke vlechten en uniformen, Merel Bem,
review, Volkskrant, dd. 15.06.2012
Haarstrikken en geweren, review, Rosan Hollak,
review, NRC Next, dd 12.06.2012
2011 Tiempo para mirar y entender, Beatriz Navas Valdés,
Cahiers du Cinema España, Mayo 2011
You are all individuals, ArtPulse, Paco Barragán
Schuldbekentenissen in een duistere kelder,
Sandra Smallenburg, NRC, dd 19-5-2011
De macht van de massa. You are all individuals,
Metropolis M, 27-05-2011
We are all fanatics (video), Goran Baba Ali,
Ex Ponto Magazine, dd. 10-06-2011
Knipoogde daar iemand?, Stefan Kuiper, Vrij Nederland
Radicaal voelt zich een idealist die de mainstream ontloopt,
Rosan Hollak, NRC dd. 18-1-2011
2010 Film3, book, AUP/Eye Film Institute
De buikbioscoop, Raymond van den Boogaard, NRC
Poetins Kinderen, Anna Abrahams, Eye Film Institute
2009 Het drillen van de Onzen, Henny de Lange, Trouw
Rietveld Arsenale, publication Gerrit Rietveld Academy
Archivo, publication by Willem van Zoetendaal & Paul Kooiker
2008 Buitenlandse filmmakers blijken veel somberder over
de toekomst dan Russische regisseurs, Coen van Zwol, NRC
Rencontres vers le future, Jérôme Provençal, Mouvement.net
Het uniform van propaganda, Joanne Dijkman,
Mr. Motley, nr 18
Archivo #2, Johannes Schwartz & Daya Cahen,
photomagazine curated by Willem van Zoetendaal
& Paul Kooiker
2007 De wereld van Stalins kleinzoon, Marijn v.der Jagt,
Vrij Nederland
NPS Arena (NPS tv interview), dd. 4-2-2007