Encontros Da Imagem 2025

The 35th edition of Encontros da Imagem - International Photography and Visual Arts Festival, brings together 24 curators and over 350 artists.

Overview

Under the motto Manifestação de Interesse (Declaration of Interest) and the artistic direction of Vítor Nieves, the festival is spread across more than 35 venues and organised around three curatorial themes: Argumentários (Reasonings), Dissidências (Dissidences), and Transições (Transitions).

Reasonings celebrates the history of Encontros da Imagem. This curatorial section offers a dive into the memories, experiences, and narratives that have shaped and defined the festival over the years. More than just revisiting history, the program aims to explore new interpretations of the festival's identity and continuity, identifying and valuing significant contributions to photography and the visual arts. Dissidences is an exhibition space dedicated to an inclusive approach to photography, covering everything from historical perspectives to new practices and emerging trends in the medium. It is a space for critical and creative reflection on the role of images in society, inviting visitors to question and reinterpret the meaning of photography in the present day. Transitions explores the regional connections and identities that influence and are influenced by Encontros da Imagem, celebrating Minho, the region where the festival is organized, and highlighting local identities and emerging new ruralities. This exhibition section is a space for dialogue between art, community, and the environment, with an emphasis on inclusion and the appreciation of artists and themes that are often marginalized.

Photography remains at the centre of the programme, but this year's edition expands to other contemporary languages, integrating cinema, performance, installation, and video art, in a celebration of the multiple forms of visual expression today.

From 18 September to 2 November, the festival takes place in six locations: Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Barcelos, Avintes (Vila Nova de Gaia), and Vila Verde, featuring local and international artists and photographers such as Teresa Freitas, Pierpaolo Mittica, Matevž Čebašek, Gérald Bloncourt, Carlos Folgoso, Tiago Casanova, Nastassja Nefjodov, Céu Guarda, Fabio Magara, Stefanos Paikos, Mauro Silva, Helena Almeida, Inês Moura, Gil Raro, Miguel De, Sergio Marey, and more.

In addition to the exhibitions, the programme includes educational services that integrate portfolio reviews, talks, projections, and cinema.