Anna Maria Savoaia

gallery MANAGER

With a foundation rooted in the artistic heritage of Athens, she bridges the gap between creative intuition and professional rigor.

A graduate of the High School of Fine Arts and currently pursuing an MA in Art Law and Arts Management, her expertise lies at the intersection of arts management & creative direction.

Anna is dedicated to connecting collectors, artists, and spaces that matter, bringing a sophisticated eye for fine art photography to every project. Her approach balances the disciplined landscape of the legal art world with a deep passion for visual storytelling, ensuring each exhibition is as strategically sound as it is aesthetically compelling.

Roy Kahmann

Founder

Interview with Roy Kahmann. Amsterdam, June, 2026

1. On Ed van der Elsken and early lessons

Question: What did working that close to a photographer of van der Elsken's stature teach you about what photography actually was, and is there a line you can draw between that encounter and the gallery you eventually founded twenty years later?

Roy: Working that close to Ed van der Elsken in 1979, 1980, even as a junior assistant under Anthon Beeke at Total Design, was the exact moment everything changed for me. It was a masterclass in the raw power of the photographic image. When you are dealing with a master like Ed, you quickly realize that a true photograph isn't just a design element to be manipulated for a layout; it is a complete, sacred world of its own. It taught me to respect the photographer’s singular vision and the absolute integrity of the print.
There is a direct, unbreakable line between that encounter and the gallery I founded two decades later. I fell so deeply in love with photography during that project that I ended up buying my very first original Van der Elsken print right then. It still hangs in my home today. The gallery was born out of that exact same impulse: a desire to protect, champion, and share that profound emotional connection to the physical print.

2. On co-collecting with my wife

Question: How has having a co-collector who applies a second and independent standard of judgment shaped the gallery's identity, and what has it kept out that you might have regretted acquiring alone?

Roy: Building a collection of nearly 10,000 original prints with my wife, Lindy, was never a calculated (business)plan. It grew entirely out of shared passion. Our strict rule, that if only one of us loved an image, it did not come in, has been fundamental. It completely removed the trap of personal ego or impulsive accumulation. Because of this second, independent standard of judgment, the collection has maintained a beautifully cohesive, shared vision over nearly 35 years.

What has it kept out? It stopped me from making random, risky, or trendy purchases just because I felt like it at the moment. In the art world, it is easy to get caught up in the noise of what is currently fashionable or what a market trend dictates. Lindy’s eye served as the perfect anchor. By forcing us to only acquire pieces where our guts aligned, we avoided buying works that lacked long-term emotional resonance. Saving us from the regret of owning pieces that didn't truly speak to the core of who we are as collectors.

3. On GUP Magazine: Print vs. Online and… Fresh Eyes

Question: What did publishing GUP give photographers and audiences that the gallery model could not, and is there something you miss about the print edition that the online version cannot replicate?

Roy: A gallery is a wonderfully intimate space, but it has physical and geographical limits. When we launched GUP Magazine (Guide to Unique Photography) in 2005, it provided us with a borderless, international platform. It allowed us to showcase hundreds of emerging talents and established photographic artists to a worldwide audience of collectors, curators, and institutions. Many of whom could never have physically visited our gallery. It provided democratic visibility; for many young artists, it was the first time their work was seen beyond their immediate local network, acting as a massive catalyst for their careers.

Following the discontinuation of GUP’s print edition after surviving nearly two years of lockdowns, I didn't want our platform to exist solely online. Driven by the many young talents reaching out to us from all over the world, I wanted to offer them the reach they deserved. This led to the creation of the Fresh Eyes books. Today, this has grown into a biannual "phonebook for talent," featuring a hundred photographers per edition. The book is partly made possible by the talents themselves: once selected, they commit to purchasing a set number of copies. This guarantees us a baseline circulation and covers a portion of the printing costs. This model has been highly successful for over a decade and is increasingly accepted and embraced internationally.

As for what I miss most about the print edition of GUP? My background is in design. I spent my formative years at Total Design, and I still design all my books and magazines myself. For me, print is tactile. The weight of the paper, the smell of the ink, the way a photograph rests on a physical page. Those are things a digital screen simply cannot replicate. Online is efficient and fast, but print has a soul and a permanent presence that demands you slow down and actually look.

4. On the evolution to the Hungry Eye Group

Question: What made the Rotterdam model successful enough to carry into a new city, and what does Amsterdam give the fair that Rotterdam, for all its ten editions, could not?

Roy: The success of the Rotterdam model came down to one deliberate choice: we rejected the conventional, clinical art fair format. I can’t stand those soulless rows of standard commercial booths. Instead, we created a personal, museum-like atmosphere with curated exhibitions that offered genuine emotional and visual resonance. People didn't just come to make transactions; they came to celebrate photography as an art form and meet the artist. That focus on curated storytelling and a deeply immersive atmosphere is exactly what we carried forward. Crucially, the next evolution of this model introduces a fundamental shift in how we support the future of photography.

We are the very first organization to genuinely give, not just allocate, but truly gift, substantial exhibition space to emerging young talent. In the traditional art world, these fresh, unknown faces are almost never shown at fairs because galleries simply cannot justify the financial risk. They cannot recoup the heavy investment of a booth on an unestablished artist whose work naturally starts at a lower price point. By removing that financial barrier, we are changing the game. Moving the fair to Amsterdam in September and unifying it under the Hungry Eye Group brand was the next natural step to amplify this mission. While Rotterdam was a fantastic, gritty, and creative home for ten editions, Amsterdam brings an unparalleled global stage. It offers immediate access to an established international art hub, a denser network of global collectors, major institutions, and a vibrant cultural infrastructure. Amsterdam gives the fair the ultimate visibility needed to push our core mission: putting Dutch and exceptional international photography on the global map to the absolute highest level, while actively launching the careers of the next generation.

5. On supporting independent photographers. The only in the world.

Question: What does it take to get an independent photographer in front of the kind of audience that changes a career, and is there something the fair format can give an unrepresented photographer that a gallery cannot?

Roy: To truly transform a career, an independent photographer needs intense, concentrated visibility in front of the right audience. Their work must be seen by collectors, curators, and press who are actively looking to make new discoveries. In our 2026 edition, we deliberately highlight over 50 unrepresented artists, inspired by the incredible, undiscovered talent that emerged during the lockdowns. As it turns out, we were not only the first to create such a platform for this elusive group of talents, but even now, four years later, no similar initiative has emerged anywhere else in the world.

The fair format offers these independent photographers something a traditional gallery relationship cannot: immediate, high-volume exposure to a diverse, multi-layered audience all at once. Within a gallery, the focus is curated, structured, and deliberate over a longer period. A fair, however, acts as a vibrant accelerator. It drops an unrepresented artist straight into the heart of the art market ecosystem, allowing them to test the waters, receive instant feedback, and gain international exposure in a matter of days that might otherwise take years to build.

6. On the power of photography books

Question: What do you think a photography book actually does for an artist's career that an Instagram presence, a fair booth and a gallery relationship cannot replicate, and is there a form of book the photography publishing world is still not making well enough?

Roy: An Instagram presence is fleeting; people scroll past images in a fraction of a second. A fair booth is temporary, and a gallery exhibition eventually comes down. But a photography book is permanent. It is a physical monument to an artist’s vision. It forces a coherent, structured narrative where the layout, the sequence, and the design tell a deeper story. For a career, a book serves as an enduring calling card that lands on the desks of curators and collectors worldwide long after an exhibition closes. Where the publishing world still falls short is in making books that strike the right balance between high-end design object and accessible cultural context. Too often, books are either over-designed, hyper-conceptual objects that alienate people, or cheap, sterile catalogues. Because of my design background, I believe we need more books that treat the tactile layout as an art form while remaining deeply committed to educating the reader on the context of the work.

7. On emerging talent

Question: What is the quality you look for in an emerging photographer that no portfolio review, no social media feed and no exhibition history can actually reveal, and has a photographer ever changed your mind about that quality after you had already decided they did not have it?

Roy: The quality I look for is a distinct, recognizable visual language. A voice that is entirely their own, where you can identify their style instantly without even seeing their name. No social media feed or portfolio review can fake that; it requires deep curiosity and critical observation. I look for someone who isn't just making a lucky one-off image, but has the internal drive to build a sustainable, coherent body of work. Has anyone ever changed my mind? Rarely, because identifying talent is like a top athlete training for years. Experience means doing the same thing a thousand times until your gut instinct is incredibly sharp. However, I have seen young photographers whose early work felt too busy or chaotic, which usually makes me disengage. But then, through maturity or strict mentorship, they learned the power of simplicity, graphic lines, and leaving things unresolved. When an artist shows they can strip away the noise and master that restraint, it absolutely proves their capacity to grow.

8. On AI and the future of the medium

Question: What does including AI-inspired work inside a gallery built on the tradition of Dutch photography say about where you think the medium is going, and where do you personally stand on AI as a creative force in photography?

Roy: Rebranding to Hungry Eye Gallery and expanding our scope to include contemporary, experimental, and AI-inspired projects alongside iconic analogue prints might look like a radical shift, but it is actually a continuous exploration of visual culture. The image landscape is constantly changing. Including AI within a gallery deeply rooted in Dutch photography tradition is an acknowledgment that the boundaries of the medium are expanding. Dutch photography has always been celebrated because our education system fosters relentless curiosity and critical observation. AI is simply a new tool for that observation. Personally, my heart will always belong to the physical, silver-gelatin analogue print. I love black-and-white portraiture, graphical lines, and the tactile nature of film. But I am an entrepreneur and a bridge-builder; I cannot ignore the future. AI as a creative force is fascinating as long as it is driven by a strong, recognizable artistic voice and a clear conceptual framework, rather than just digital trickery. It is another way of creating images that challenge us, and as a gallery, we must be where the conversation is happening.

9. On programming for both collectors and newcomers

Question: How do you programme a fair and run a gallery around a standard that sophisticated collectors understand and first-time visitors might find opaque, and where is the creative tension in making the unfamiliar feel welcoming?

Roy: The creative tension lies in the atmosphere you create. For me, a powerful photograph is one that resists explaining itself too quickly, leaving room for interpretation. Sophisticated collectors inherently understand this mystery. But a first-time visitor might initially find a blurry, minimalist, or highly conceptual image opaque or intimidating. The key to making the unfamiliar feel welcoming is removing the elitist barrier. We don't use dry, academic pretension. Whether at the Hungry Eye Gallery or the Hungry Eye Fair, we design the spaces to feel personal, warm, and immersive. And let the viewer be in contact with the artist. We try to make an event closer to a museum experience than a sterile marketplace. We bridge the gap through mentorship and dialogue. Our Hungry Eye LAB and our staff are there to ask questions, tell the stories behind the photographers, and guide visitors. Once a newcomer realizes they don't need a degree to appreciate the graphic beauty or the haunting simplicity of an image, they stop trying to "solve" the photo and start feeling it.

10. On the next 5 years and the Hungry Eye vision

Question: Where do you see photography in five years, what form of the medium do you think is currently most undervalued, and what are you building inside the Hungry Eye Group right now that is a direct response to where you think it is going?

Roy: In five years, the tension between the handmade analogue print and the algorithmically generated image will only intensify. Because the digital landscape is completely oversaturated. With everyone being a "photographer" on Instagram. I believe that vintage and contemporary analogue prints are currently the most undervalued forms of the medium in terms of their cultural significance. The more digital the world becomes, the more valuable the rare, signed, physical, and historical artifact becomes.
What we are building right now inside the Hungry Eye Group is a direct response to this shift. My ultimate dream is to correct what is missing in photography education, which currently focuses too much on technique and too little on historical and cultural context.
We are working toward a permanent center, a "permanent Hungry Eye Spot" and academy, where people can view, learn, discover, and truly connect. It is a complete ecosystem, merging our gallery, with publications like The Collectibles, talent books like Fresh Eyes, and our international fairs into a definitive photography mecca that champions the physical art form while guiding the next generation into the future.

Next step is finding the right location.

Interview with Roy Kahman, Amsterdam, July 2025
 – Designer, collector, gallerist, photography expert, and above all: photography entrepreneur.
On images that move you, giving young talent a platform, and his dream of a photography mecca.

INTERVIEWER: Roy, your life seems devoted to photography, collecting, publishing, mentoring, and dealing. But let’s start at the beginning: when is a photograph truly beautiful in your eyes?
Roy Kahmann: Beauty, of course, is deeply personal. But for me, a photograph is only truly powerful when it doesn’t reveal everything at once. I’m not drawn to images that explain themselves too quickly, like news photos often do. I want to be left with something to interpret, something unresolved. I’m particularly moved by simplicity, strong graphical lines, especially in black-and-white portraiture. If an image is too busy or full of detail, I tend to disengage. I even love blurry photographs. There’s something haunting about what remains unclear.

INTERVIEWER: How did your journey into the world of photography actually begin?
Roy Kahmann: I started out in design. In 1979, I was a junior under the great designer Anthon Beeke at Total Design. One of the projects I worked on was a book by Ed van der Elsken. That experience changed everything. I instantly fell in love with photography and ended up buying my first original Van der Elsken print. It still hangs in my home.

INTERVIEWER: What would you say to someone who’s just starting to collect photographic art?
Roy Kahmann: First, learn what makes a photograph a collectible. It must be signed, ideally numbered and dated as well. Otherwise, you’re buying a poster. Consider the size and the quality of the print. Value often correlates with edition size: the smaller the edition, the more exclusive. And do some research: has the work ever appeared at auction? That can offer insights into market potential.

INTERVIEWER: How important is the story behind the photographer?
Roy Kahmann: Crucial. Take time to understand the artist. How long have they been working? Is the photograph a lucky one-off or part of a coherent body of work? You should be able to recognize a photographer’s style, even without seeing the name. If an artist is represented by a gallery, you know there’s commitment and structure behind the work.

INTERVIEWER: Your work seems driven by more than just a passion for art. What’s your mission?
Roy Kahmann: My mission is simple: to put Dutch photography on the global map. That’s what drives everything I do. From nurturing young photographers to promoting established ones, it’s about recognizing potential early and helping to build sustainable careers. In that sense, I’ve become something of a ‘talent agent’, though I prefer the term bridge-builder. Dutch photography is incredibly strong, I believe, because our education fosters both curiosity and critical observation. All of that culminates in the photograph.

INTERVIEWER: Is collecting emerging talent a smart entry point?
Roy Kahmann: Absolutely, though not for speculative reasons. The market value isn’t yet fixed, and there’s no guarantee the artist will continue. I once bought twelve prints from a young photographer, his entire body of work at the time. A year later, he stopped. But I still love those images. If you’re open to discovery, visit graduate shows in The Netherlands at institutions like KABK, HKU, St. Joost or the Fotoacademie Amsterdam. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

INTERVIEWER: What’s the single most important piece of advice for collectors?
Roy Kahmann: Follow your gut. Don’t buy what’s trendy or what others find beautiful. If a photo stirs something in you, and you keep coming back to it, that’s your photograph. Collecting should be about emotional connection.

INTERVIEWER: You started what’s now known as the Hungry Eye Gallery already in 2004. What was the original idea?
Roy Kahmann: Initially, I focused exclusively on Dutch vintage photography. But it quickly grew into a platform for both vintage and contemporary work, both national and international. Today, we represent more than thirty artists, and we’ve also launched the Hungry Eye LAB, which mentors young talent navigating the commercial side of the art world. That work is incredibly rewarding.

INTERVIEWER: Then came the Hungry Eye Fair. How did that evolve?
Roy Kahmann: I wanted to create a photography fair that felt more like a museum than a marketplace. No soulless rows of booths, but curated exhibitions with emotional and visual resonance. The Hungry Eye Fair now takes place annually in Rotterdam and Amsterdam and offers a very personal atmosphere. It’s not just about transactions, it’s about celebrating photography as an art form.

INTERVIEWER: You and your wife Lindy have amassed a collection of nearly 10,000 original prints. How does one build a collection like that?
Roy Kahmann: It was never the plan, it just grew over time, driven by passion. We had one rule: we both had to agree on a purchase. If only one of us loved the image, it didn’t come in. That’s how the collection remained something ours, a shared vision.

INTERVIEWER: What’s your next step in promoting Dutch photography?
Roy Kahmann: I think there’s something missing in the Dutch photography education system. There’s too much emphasis on technique and concept, and too little on cultural and historical context. I dream of founding a centre, a permanent Hungry Eye Fair, if you like, where people can view, learn, discover, and connect. Perhaps even an academy will grow out of it. It’s still just a dream, but one I intend to make real.

On Talent Development

INTERVIEWER: Let’s go deeper into your work with young talent. What does talent development mean to you personally?
Roy Kahmann: It’s absolutely at the heart of everything I do. Coaching, mentoring, creating platforms, those are essential to the future of photography. I see myself as a facilitator, helping young photographers navigate what is often a confusing and closed-off industry. And that support goes far beyond exhibitions: I offer guidance, open doors, and share hard-earned experience.

INTERVIEWER: What makes your approach to mentorship unique?
Roy Kahmann: My involvement is deeply personal. I don’t just offer wall space, I ask questions, challenge assumptions, build confidence. I help artists clarify where they’re going and how they can get there. Many young talents simply need someone who believes in their voice, especially when it hasn’t fully formed yet.

INTERVIEWER: How vital is visibility for these young artists?
Roy Kahmann: Absolutely critical. Visibility is currency in today’s art world. Through the gallery and our publications, we work hard to create those moments of exposure. We showcase young artists to collectors, curators and press. We help them with presentation, printing, framing, pricing, the full package. It's a comprehensive development track.

INTERVIEWER: You’ve also been a publisher for over two decades. What role do your books and magazines play in this ecosystem?
Roy Kahmann: A major one. With GUP Magazine, New Dutch Photography Talent, and Fresh Eyes, we’ve given hundreds of emerging photographers their first serious international platform. For many, it’s the first time their work is seen beyond their immediate network. And that visibility often leads to exhibitions, sales, editorial work, or even gallery representation.

INTERVIEWER: What’s the biggest challenge for young photographers today?
Roy Kahmann: The image landscape is oversaturated. Everyone is a photographer now, just look at Instagram. The real challenge is developing a personal visual language, a recognizable voice. That, and the difficulty of entering the art market. That’s why spaces like our gallery and our publications are so vital: they give young voices a place to grow and be noticed.

INTERVIEWER: You also lecture, lead workshops, and speak on panels. What do you gain from that?
Roy Kahmann: I love sharing knowledge. But honestly? I learn just as much from it. Every generation sees the world differently, and that keeps me sharp. It’s a two-way street, those interactions inspire me deeply.

INTERVIEWER: What’s your most meaningful memory in working with young artists?
Roy Kahmann: That’s a tough one. But there’s something magical about seeing someone break through whom you’ve supported from the very beginning. To see their work on a museum wall or at Paris Photo, and to think: I helped plant that seed. That’s why I do what I do.

INTERVIEWER: You seem to discover an exceptional new talent every year. How do you keep finding them?
Roy Kahmann: I get that question a lot. But honestly, experience is just doing the same thing a thousand times over. Think of it like a top athlete finally winning gold after years of training. You get out what you put in. I still spend countless hours scouring social media, graduation shows, magazines, you name it. But by now, I’m also fortunate to receive hundreds of portfolios each year. And somewhere in that stack, there’s always a rough diamond waiting to be found.

INTERVIEWER: You started your career in communication and design. What did that background give you?
Roy Kahmann: It taught me how to build a brand and how to emotionally connect with people. My time at Total Design, working with giants like Anthon Beeke and Wim Crouwel, was formative. And I still design all my books and magazines myself. That love of visual form has never left me.

INTERVIEWER: Finally, does life exist beyond photography for Roy Kahmann?
Roy Kahmann (laughs): You’d have to ask my wife. But truthfully, design still fuels me. If I couldn’t create books and magazines, I’d probably burn out. Even when I’m ‘off’, I’m creating. This work is my passion. And that’s the greatest privilege of all.