The Fotografie Forum Frankfurt presents GEN Z : SHAPING A NEW GAZE for the first time in Germany.
One generation, countless perspectives: The exhibition gives a voice to young people, primarily born between 1995 and 2010 — who refuse to simply accept the world they have grown up in. This generation questions norms, challenges codes, and redefines its place in a changing time. The group exhibition at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt presents works by 40 photographers from 25 countries.
Intimate stories, multiple identities, reinvented family ties, and a sensitive exploration of the body and gender intertwine with personal narratives, creating a vibrant collective energy — a rich mosaic of experiences, cultural backgrounds and perspectives, where the personal becomes political.
Conceived as an immersion into the contemporary issues shaping this generation, the exhibition is structured around four themes, each offering an insight into the concerns and aspirations of young people who create, question, demand, and reinvent themselves.
Mapping a Sense of Belonging explores the home as a place of identity — be it a refuge or a source of tension. Shifting Realities widens the gaze to a world undergoing political, climatic, and social upheavals, in which the notions of home and belonging themselves become uncertain, and themes of exile, instability, and resilience are addressed. Beyond the Mirror places the body at the centre: many Generation Z artists question gender norms and stereotypes, and the body is experienced as a space of transformation and made visible as such. Multiplying Perspectives raises questions around race, history, and culture. The artists reclaim control of their own narratives and position photography as a tool of resistance and transformation.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication gathering the works of all 66 artists originally shown at Photo Elysée in Lausanne. Organised and produced by Photo Elysée in Lausanne, curated by Nathalie Herschdorfer, Hannah Pröbsting, and Julie Dayer, the group exhibition has been adapted for the FFF with the curatorial collaboration of Celina Lunsford and Andrea Horvay. In doing so, Photo Elysée — following its exhibition series ‘reGeneration’ — and the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt — with ‘Photography Players’ and ‘Recommended’ — continue their commitment to emerging photographers.
GEN Z: SHAPING A NEW GAZE
9 May – 30 August 2026
Opening: Friday, 8 May 2026, 7.00 pm
Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Braubachstraße 30–32
60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
www.fffrankfurt.org
