News — Darren Smith Photographer

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Darren Smith is an Amsterdam-based photographer whose work explores the intersection of identity, ritual, and social environments, focusing on how individuals construct and perform presence within collective contexts.

Since 2016, his work Mayflies is a photographic series that continues to evolve on temporary communities, ritual time, and the construction of identity. The project is regularly expanded.

Fotokroniek #112

Darren Smith — photo presentation

darren presents mayflies at pakhuis de zwijger

16 september 2025

pakhuis de zwijger — amsterdam, the netherlands

Darren was interviewed on stage in 112th edition of Fotokroniek at Pakhuis de Zwijger. Programmer Dymphie Braun and Darren Smith talked about Mayflies, and how identity and originality emerge when people gather. As always, Fotokroniek gave the audience the opportunity to present their own questions and thoughts to add to the conversation.

Polycopies 2025

Mayflies book signing at Lecturis

mayflies at polycopies 2025

12–16 november 2025

bateau concorde-atlantique — berges de seine, port de solferino, 75007 paris

Mayflies book signing at Lecturis publishers.

Art of Celebration Exhibition

3 may – 1 september 2025

national carnivals museum — 5211 nd den bosch, the netherlands

Selected carnivals, folklore, and religious festivities, from Mayflies at the Art of Celebration exhibition.

The exhibition explores the enduring legacy of carnival traditions, tracing their evolution from ancient religious rites, attempting to influence the gods in their decisions, to contemporary social spectacles. Steeped in history, these celebrations share universal elements — masks, costumes, dance, and communal gatherings — often symbolising the triumph of light over darkness. Emerging from seasonal transitions, they form a rich, interconnected web of cultural rituals observed across the world.

These portraits highlight the deep cultural connections between diverse traditions, shaped by centuries of pagan rites, colonial influences, and medieval customs. Through his lens, Smith brings to life the immaterial heritage of carnival, revealing both its uniqueness and its shared human spirit.

x Fireflies Exhibition

Up Helly Aa Fire Festival 2025

up helly aa, at x fireflies exhibition, lerwick, united kingdom

26 january – 20 june 2025

mareel arts centre — ze1 0wq lerwick, united kingdom

Selected carnivals, folklore, and religious festivities, from Mayflies, exhibited at x Fireflies.

Darren joined the curatorial panel for the selection of local photographers taken across Shetland's fire festivals. The two joining exhibitions revealed the care, craftsmanship, and dedication that goes into every detail of Up Helly Aa, and the interplay of costume and identity.

Bridge of Walls, image courtesy: Noah Hobbin

Kickstarter Mayflies Book

Project fully funded

mayflies kickstarter campaign

10 october 2024

The Mayflies Kickstarter campaign has officially ended, and thanks to the incredible support of our backers, we raised 118% of our goal — fully funding the book's production. After seven years of work, thousands of portraits, and countless moments of radical self-expression, Mayflies is now moving into its final stage: printing.

Exhibition KLPA 2024

Make it Real — staged narrative in portraiture

vevcani carnival, at make it real exhibition, kuala lumpur, malaysia

21 july 2024

temu house — kuala lumpur, malaysia

One can argue that almost all portraits are staged in some way — be it using compositional cropping in the viewfinder, emphasis on subject placements, or using selective focussing. Compared to the more elaborate or complex studio staging, a casual street portrait may seem spontaneously captured. KLPA 2024 presents and highlights these 38 finalist portraits, as selected by the jury from 1,200 images received under the theme Make it Real — Staged Narrative in Portraiture.
steven lee, founder

Vevcani Carnival, rooted in pagan traditions, is a vibrant, annual celebration in Vevcani, North Macedonia. Known for its elaborate masks and costumes, this festival marks the start of the Orthodox New Year, blending ancient rituals with satirical performances. Participants, embodying various characters, parade through the streets, engaging in acts that critique societal norms. This colorful, lively event not only preserves the rich cultural heritage of Vevchani but also attracts visitors worldwide, eager to witness its unique blend of history, humor, and revelry.

Vevcani Carnival, from Mayflies, exhibited at the Make it Real exhibition.

Portrait of Humanity in Space

The world's first exhibition in space

red light sanctuary, in portrait of humanity in space

6 october 2020

1854 Media partnered with Sent Into Space to broadcast a message of peace and unity from humankind to space — and possibly even our extra-terrestrial counterparts. Drawn from Portrait of Humanity, a movement seeking to prove there is more that unites us than sets us apart, the exhibited images showcase the many faces of communities across the world.

Individuality, community and unity are the focus of the featured works, drawn from the 2019 and 2020 editions of the award. The exhibition celebrates humanity in its countless variations. And while the global pandemic forces museums and galleries to remain closed, the film should remind us of our universal bonds, despite being forced apart. The exhibited images also translate into binary code and are beamed through the universe at the speed of light.

The full 45-minute film is available to view here.

Rotterdam Photo 2020

Theme — transitions

milkshake festival at rotterdam photo 2020

6–9 february 2020

art week rotterdam

Darren Smith and Adrian Lambert exhibiting a duo show at Rotterdam Photo 2020.

Together with the exhibitions at the Nederlands Fotomuseum and the fine art photography fair Haute Photographie, the 'Kop van Zuid' was transformed into the photography lovers' hub. The world has reached a historical turning point: the rise of populism, Brexit, the Trump era, and all the humanitarian crises that emerge from that. The near future is uncertain. These crises, or better: transitions, formed the red line of Rotterdam Photo 2020 and its theme.

Over 30 selected photographers exhibited their work. Both national and international selections reveal the intriguing work of photographers like Daniel Marquez, Annemie Martin, and Nicola Moscelli. These selected photographers displayed their work alongside renowned photographers such as Luuk Smits, who presented images from his project from 119m below to 152m above (2019), Otto Snoek, and Perrine Phelomeen.

The annual Photo Talks event took place with speakers including Charlie Koolhaas, Darren Smith & Adrian Lambert, Perrine Phelomeen, Otto Snoek, Suzette NWO, Inger Johansson, Luuk Smits, and Ilvy Njiokiktjien. Music from Midwinter Bonfire, DJ Meneer Jansen, and the Instead of Ella collective accompanied the festival throughout, creating a spectacular atmosphere.

Portrait of Humanity Volume 1

200 photographs that celebrate global unity

red light sanctuary, in portrait of humanity vol. 1

'portrait of humanity' — 320pp, cloth spine, 237mm × 285mm

In collaboration with 1854 Media and Magnum Photos.

What does it mean to be human today? These 200 portraits, taken by photographers in over 65 countries, celebrate global citizenship at a time of instability. Funny, revealing, and often moving, the faces and stories in this book show that we are all wonderfully unique, yet on some level, deeply the same.
introduced by lucy davies

isbn: 978-1-910566-52-7

BNO Image Lab: Extravagant

Red Light Sanctuary — photo presentation

red light sanctuary at bno img lab

26 january 2017

nieuw instituut — museumpark 25

Darren presents 50 drag queens from the series 'Red Light Sanctuary' at Extravagant by BNO IMG Lab.

Dutch design is generally not synonymous with extravagant excesses. But a little over the top and a little strange is actually quite nice. So we dove into the new year with nothing but flamboyant excess in our lineup. Can we have a little more?

extravagant nieuweinstituut.nl/events/extravagant

BNO Image Lab: Extravagant. Moderator Flora van Gaalen. Photo: Hans Tak