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This summer, if you're planning a trip abroad, we recommend checking out several exciting photography exhibitions. Among them is Nan Golding's latest project, which explores an imaginary journey to the moon, as well as fascinating experimental portraits created in the early 20th century. These exhibitions are definitely worth visiting for inspiration and a deep dive into the world of photography.
Period: April 30 to September 14.
Where: Madrid, Spain
Festival PHotoESPAÑA is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year. The theme chosen for 2025 is "After All," focusing on photography as a medium for social and political change.
The featured artist is Chilean artist Lottie Rosenfeld (1943–2020), who became a significant figure in Latin American video art and participated in the Venice Biennale. In 1979, as a protest against the Pinochet dictatorship, she took to the streets, using pieces of fabric to transform road medians into symbolic crosses. Despite a ban on filming, this act was documented on video. Rosenfeld perceived it as an expression of protest against mindless submission to a harsh regime. The exhibition in Madrid includes this work, as well as other audiovisual works by the artist.
The festival will feature numerous exhibitions across various days. Most of them are located in Madrid. To make it easier for viewers to navigate, a new itinerary is published every week on the festival's official social media channels, which includes all the exhibition locations.
PHotoESPAÑA is one of the most significant photography festivals on the global stage, founded in 1998. Since then, it has been visited by over 15 million people.
Belfast Photo Festival
When: 5–30 June
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The curators of the Northern Ireland Visual Arts Festival traditionally focus on environmental themes, as well as works that cross photography and various media.
This year, the festival accepted works on a variety of topics. The selected works were united under the expressive title "Biosphere". Participants are invited to reflect on how we perceive our common planet and how we live on it in harmony.
The question of human interaction with other living beings on our planet occupies a central place in the work of Polish artist Diana Lelonek. Her solo exhibition in Belfast, entitled "The Center of Living Beings", presents works that can be described as "simultaneously living and inanimate objects".
The festival includes both group and individual projects by artists from all over the world. One of the bright stars of the event will be French artist Sophie Calle. Her creations will be presented at a solo exhibition entitled "Beyond the Gaze."
Les Mesnographies
Period: June 7 to July 14.
Le Meneul, located in France.
Sixteen photographers representing 12 different countries will present their work at the open festival, held near Paris.
The main idea is that sisterhood represents not only an important social but also a political aspect. In this context, key issues such as migration, family relations, environmental problems, questions of identity, and courage are also touched upon.
Belarusian photographer Alexander Kot-Zaitsev, who currently resides in Poland, will present his new work entitled Borderline. This project covers the events of 2020 in Belarus, reflecting the emotional and psychological experiences of the Belarusian people.
In 2025, the Le Mesneul festival will celebrate its fifth edition.
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...and strive to understand how diverse this topic can be. Join us as we showcase talented Russian writers, track international competitions, and learn creative advice from experienced professionals.
Getxophoto
Period: May 29th – June 22nd.
Where: Getxo, Spain
The Spanish resort town of Getxo is hosting a festival featuring the exhibition "Life and Colour" – the work of the British suffragette and color photography innovator Yevond Middleton.
In 1914, when she was 21, Yevond Middleton founded her own photography studio in London. She specialized in advertising photography and commissioned portraits – these areas were considered less significant, which allowed women to more easily enter the profession. Yevond soon gained fame, primarily for her original approach to working with colour.
Middleton's works are displayed outdoors and are open to the public 24/7. Outdoor exhibitions are a characteristic feature of the festival. Sometimes very unusual locations are chosen for displaying works of art. This year, some of the works by American documentary filmmaker John Divola were installed along the cable car.
Arles Photography Festival: A Meeting of Cultures and Ideas
Period: July 7 to October 5.
Where: Arles, France
One of the key events of the 2025 French festival will be the presentation of a new project by Nan Goldin, an iconic figure in the world of American photography. Goldin gained popularity thanks to her diaristic style of photography, long before the advent of social media, declaring that having a camera allows one to find interesting subjects. In Arles, viewers will be able to see her 2024 work, titled "The Stendhal Syndrome," in which she combines two types of photographs. One series features exhibits captured in museums around the world—masterpieces of classical art, the Renaissance, and the Baroque. The other part of the work features portraits of her friends and lovers.
One of Europe's key photography festivals will feature a variety of exhibitions this year, both group and individual. The curators intend to contrast the art of photography with the "increasing nationalism and nihilism" observed in the modern world. The main focus will be on cultural and ethnic diversity.
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Personal perception: self-portrait and photographic diary.
Cortona on the Move
Period: July 17 - November 2.
Where: Cortona, Italy
Cortona on the Move is a festival that includes exhibitions both outdoors and in the historic palaces of the medieval Italian city Cortona. One of the unique venues is the Girifalco fortress, built during the Medici dynasty.
This year's theme is "Solidarity." Organizers invite everyone to reflect on why mutual understanding and reconciliation, both political and personal, are the only viable path.
The same concept formed the basis for the overview exhibition dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Cortona on the Move, entitled "15 Years Together." The exhibition features 28 photographs - two works from each of the previously held festivals.
Visitors will see 23 exhibitions of works by artists from various countries.
Photo Gaspésie
From July 15 to September 30.
Where: Gaspé, Canada
A photography festival is taking place on Canada's picturesque Gaspé Peninsula.
This year's exhibition's main theme is "Transitions." Artists approach its interpretation from different angles, viewing it as a gap between past and future, a moment of transformation. Participants include not only Canadian authors, but also photographers from Japan, France, and Italy, who are also presenting their work.
This year, the peninsula will host 13 exhibitions located in various corners of the region. One of them will be the usual exhibition of photo books for the festival.
Photography Festival in Calabria
Duration: August 1st - October 12th.
Location: San Lucido, Italy
This young Italian festival, Common Roots: Places, explores the relationship between the places we inhabit and our personal identity. Organizers seek to understand how our environment influences our self-perception and connects us to the history of our community.
Visitors will be treated to 18 exhibitions featuring works by artists from various countries. Among them is French photographer Valentin Valette, who won the festival competition with his project "Ashes of the Arabian Pearl."
The "Arabian Pearl" is a figurative designation for the Sultanate of Oman, a monarchy on the Arabian Peninsula. Valette conducted a study of life in the country after the death in 2020 of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who ruled for half a century.
Kranj Foto Fest
Period: August 27th to September 27th.
Where: Kranj, Slovenia
Four years ago, a festival was founded in Slovenia with the ambitious goal of making Kranj a center of contemporary photographic art in Eastern Europe. This year, the organizers recorded a record number of applications, exceeding a thousand from participants from 80 different countries.
13 photo projects were selected for participation in the festival.
Belarusian photographer Pasha Krichko was recognized as the winner of this competition. His work, titled "Map of Memories," is an analysis of political upheavals in Belarus.
Verzasca Foto
When: September 3–7
Location: Gordola, Switzerland.
Holding in Switzerland's Alpine Verzasca Valley, the festival is no longer a summer event (it starts on September 3rd this year), but it still retains a holiday atmosphere. The event features open-air exhibitions scattered across several small villages with stone buildings surrounded by greenery. Artists' works are displayed directly on the walls of buildings and trees.
The Verzasca Valley will feature works by a number of international artists, including Rhiannon Adam, the British winner of the festival's competition. Visitors will be able to see her Rhi-Entry project, dedicated to the failed space expedition to the Moon.
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