Fotofestiwal, the 25th International Festival of Photography in Łódź Poland, will take place from June 18 to 28, 2026. The organizers present the program as follow.
As Fotofestiwal celebrates its 25th anniversary, we turn our focus toward a fundamental reflection on the world’s inhabitants. We have grown accustomed to categorizing existence into binaries—dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’. This rift manifests in how we distance ourselves from other species, from those with opposing political visions, or from those whose actions seem to threaten the world we cherish. Yet, the symbolism of our anniversary serves as a reminder that there is no ‘other’—there is only the collective. When some destroy, some possess the power to repair. Where there is conflict, there is also opportunity cultivate peace. Where industrialization and commodity mocks the natural world, we have the agency to condemn, to protect, and to transform. Our world is vast and densely populated, but within this great mass, every individual holds the capacity for balance, and for change. This year, we celebrate twenty-five years of seeing the world not as a dual relationship of any kind, but as a singular, shared responsibility.
WE, ANIMALS
Our relationship with other animals is a mirror, reflecting how we understand our own humanity and our place within the natural world. Since prehistory, a profound bond has connected us—one that has grown increasingly complex alongside the development of civilization. The following names invite us to re-examine our relationship with our non-human companions—critically, attentively, and with tenderness. By reversing perspectives and revealing the deep interweaving of our lives, the exhibition seeks to move beyond conventional sight and open new pathways for coexistence.
Nikita Teryoshin ‘backyard cats’ is a grounded alternative to the widespread meme-driven imagery of felines on the internet. Feng Li, documents the intimate and harmonic domestic life of his family and his pig. Maija Tammi creates a poignant parallel though a video footage of a mother octopus tenderly sacrificing her life for her offspring with a raw self-portrait taken shortly after the birth of her own child. Meanwhile, Marta Bogdańska explores the complexities of animal resistance and agency; and Alfio Tommasini encourages us to reconnect with the animal world as our oldest teacher.
While documenting the lives of London’s red foxes, Carlos Alba tells a contemporary fable about power, labour, and inequality. Ang Siew Ching compels us to reconsider the hidden costs animals pay to sustain the structures of modern society. Richard Barnes explores a different tension, by juxtaposing our deep admiration for the natural world with an almost relentless impulse to conquer and contain it. Finally, Jaap Scheeren attempts a reconnection with nature in the hope that this affection might, eventually, be returned.
PHILIP MONTGOMERY: AMERICAN CYCLES
A rare insight into a decade of American history marked by political upheaval and resurgent – often deliberately fuelled – social and ethnic conflicts. The artist portrays a society filled with tensions but also fragile solidarity, creating a visual map of contemporary United States. To guide us there are some of the most defining moments of the past decade: Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd, Donald Trump’s first populist presidential campaign, Black Lives Matter protests, and the aftermath of natural disasters such as Hurricane Irma. This is United States of America as they are – un-staged and direct.
QUOTES FROM REALITY THAT REVEAL THE WORLD HIDDEN STRUCTURES
The Open Call is another part of the review of the international photography scene and includes six projects chosen out of more than 1200 entries. Defined by strong voices and bold visions, this selection offers a global survey of the most compelling contemporary projects. While these works emerge from vastly different contexts—spanning from London and Helsinki to the Amazon, Kathmandu, and Palestine—the artists share a common focus on the moments where everyday life reveals its hidden structures.
Eleonora Agostini transforms a restaurant into a stage for a social theatre; Tommaso Protti portrays the brutal reality of the Amazon, where environmental exploitation is inevitably linked to violence against local communities. Mari Mäntynen explores the first encounter as a somehow fragile space where trust, distance, and intimacy are negotiated. Eleana Konstantellos André deconstructs the mechanisms behind social myths and the politics of fear. Arhant Gurung Shrestha brings us to Nepal, using photography as a tool for processing trauma and rebuilding trust. And finally, Tanya Habjouqa offers a long-term documentation of the Palestinian struggle for dignity and survival amidst intersecting political and ecological violence.
A COMMON GROUND – AN ATLAS OF THE PRESENT TENSE
From the drying wetlands of the Po Delta, to the sands of the Curonian Spit. From the algae on the shores of southern Spain, through the birdsong in Friesland, and deforestation in Slovakia. From the urban transformations in Helsinki, to the floods in Valencia. This an atlas of the present tense. A tension between the beauty once found and the imminent catastrophe that seems to lay ahed. Twelve artists have come together in a two-year project to address the impact of climate change on Europe’s cultural heritage. This exhibition is a critical response to escalating climate change and the environmental threats that follow in its wake.
TOTAL INHABITATION
Set within a monumental palace rich in history and currently scholarly tradition, a disruption occurs. Augustin Rebetez, renowned for his ‘total art’ approach, presents a vibrant, chaotic fusion of photography with video, drawing, music, and performance. This is a portal to his own singular universe, where ‘very cute cats’ stand alongside wild films, kinetic animations, and an intense installation of photographs and objects. It is a world where humor is found in the grotesque and beauty in the absurd. Rebetez doesn’t just observe the world—he builds a new one where everyone (and every ‘monster’) is welcome.
Fotofestiwal – the 25th International Festival of Photography in Łódź
18-28 June 2026
www.fotofestiwal.com
Organizer: Fundacja Edukacji Wizualnej (Foundation of Visual Education)
Co-organizers: Łódzkie Centrum Wydarzeń (Łódź Events Center), Fabryka Sztuki w Łodzi (Art Factory in Łódź)
Main partners: Futures Photography from the Creative Europe funding program of the European Union, University of Łódź Heritage Lens.
Festival centers: Art_Inkubator at Art Factory in Łódź and Biedermann Palace – University of Łódź
