A Guide To February 2024 Photography Festivals

Rotterdam Photo, Exposure Photography Festival, Haute Photographie, Xposure International Photography Festival, Festival de Fotografía Impresa, Ras Al Khaimah Art and FineArt Igualada are among the highlighted photo events opening in the coming weeks.

Rotterdam Photo 2024

Rotterdam, Netherlands / 1 February - 4 February

This edition of Rotterdam Photo focuses on the theme Imagine and invites photographers and artists to question and transform our world’s perception with their imagination. The rich program includes exhibitions, and shows organized together with Photoville New York, Tiradentes Photo Festival, the Perth Centre for Photography and the Covid Photo Museum. In additions, a webinar with artists Danny Franzreb, David Veerbek and Philippe Sarfati to comment on their work and engage in a discussion on the topic of Urban Sustainability, and one exploring the Urban Space with Luiz Baltar, Claudia Jaguaribe, Leonie Gossens, Rob Voerman under the moderation of Shailoh Phillips.

Find out more on their website.

Haute Photographie 2024

Rotterdam, Netherlands / 1 February - 4 February

For the third time, the event founded and curated by Roy Kahmann will take place in Het Keilepand, located in the new creative hub of the city and surrounded by inspiring initiatives during Rotterdam Art Week. As traditional art fairs have few opportunities for galleries to show unknown names, Haute has dedicated a special focus on emerging photographers, through the Haute Talent Programme and the European talent platform Fresh Eyes. Rolf van Rooij, Kyra ten Brink, Puck Soetens, Lotte Sinke, Aisha Zeijpveld, Cooper Seijken, Rienk de Vries are among the showcased photographers in the fair. Plus, you can also immerse yourself in photobooks, both new and vintage. Their Amsterdam bookstore Artibooks will present a wide collection of books that will certainly be a perfect match for your library.

Discover more on their website.

Exposure Photography Festival 2024

Alberta, Canada / 2 February - 3 March

Exposure 2024 promises to be an expansive festival edition with exhibitions presented in galleries, museums, local businesses and outdoor locations in Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Crowsnest Pass, Edmonton, Peace River & Red Deer. This year’s calendar shares a wide range of artist talks, panel discussions, workshops, performances, portfolio reviews, and exhibition tours. Among the extended program of shows, the Exposure 2023 Photographer Of The Year Award presents Picturing The Infrathin by Elyse Longair. In addition, the Exposure 2024 International Open Call exhibition features the work of artists like Justin Carney, Pippa Healy, M'hammed Kilito, Patricia Krivanek, Kristiina Lahde, Christina Leslie, Gui Marcondes, Lisa McCarty, Martin Miklas, Rachel Nixon, Christine Osinski, Molly Steels, Han Sungpil, Teiji Wallace-Lewis and Tom Woodroffe.

Explore the full program on their website.

Xposure International Photography Festival

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates / 28 February - 5 March

The festival offers photography competitions, portfolio reviews, workshops, screenings, and a trade show featuring the latest gear and trends, and talks. Designed using the highest technical standards, the Auditorium will be hosting photography talks and live stage events. The workshops span from beginner classes covering the fundamentals of photography to more advanced sessions delving into specific topics or genres. Aidan Sullivan, Dr. Ioannis Galanopoulos Papavasileiou, Gilles Cargueray, Kathy Moran, Lars Boering, Maria Mann, Kira Pollack, Wiktoria Michałkiewicz are the experts to whom you can show your work during portfolio reviews. The festival also offers book signings with authors including Nancy Borowick, Simon Roberts, Tor Seide, in addition to a Focus Groups: planned discussions led by a mentor to gather opinions on a defined photographic or filmmaking topic.

Discover more on their website.

Ras Al Khaimah Art 2024

Al Jazirah Al Hamra, United Arab Emirates / 2 February - 29 February

Curated by Alfio Tommasini, photographer, curator, artistic director, and co-founder of Verzasca Foto Festival, this edition of Ras Al Khaimah Art bridges heritage and modernity through a curated display featuring 90 talented artists (including painters, sculptors and photographers), alongside inspiring masterclasses, public talks, film screenings, art installations, guided tours and live performances. Guided through the enchanting Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village, visitors traverse storied pathways, encountering installations by local and international artists that harmonize with this year’s festival theme In Motion.

Explore the full program of events on their website.

Festival de Fotografía Impresa

Córdoba, Argentina / 16 February - 17 February

Organized by Centro de Estudios Fotográficos (CEF – Córdoba) and now at its 9th edition, the festival is dedicated to promoting the production, dissemination, and exchange of photographic publications. It encourages the publication and circulation of visual narratives with special emphasis on the Latin American editorial context. The weekend brings together photobooks lovers from Latin America, organizing activities such as collective library (photobooks exhibition), shows, conversations, presentations of editorial projects, workshops, projections, editorial fair, meetings.

Find out more on their website.

FineArt Igualada 2024

Igualada, Spain / 23 February - 17 March

Created in 2012 by the Agrupació Fotogràfica d'Igualada and the Igualada Town Council, the 12th edition of FineArt Igualada Festival showcases 22 photographers, 12 photography and image schools, 3 photography collectives, and 3 photography awards. The exhibition spaces are diverse, including the Tannery, the rectory of the church of Santa María, various schools, the municipal market, municipal and cultural facilities, old factories, and currently unused premises. The event hosts exhibitions and parallel activities revitalising the centre through culture and the promotion of local industrial design and architecture.

Find out more on their website.

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Other festivals still open:

MedPhoto Festival / Rethymno, Greece / 19 January - 29 - March

Directed by Maria Maragkou, Pavlos Fysakis and curated by Dimitris Kechris, Pasqua Vorgia, the 5th edition of the Greek event, now at its 5th edition, explores the topic Climate Wars, presenting the exhibition Critical Archives VI: We Can’t Breathe. The show focuses on the climate and biosphere crisis and their socio-political parameters, and on the extreme and dangerous ways of exploiting natural resources and the widespread disappearance of ecosystems, which have resulted in the deterioration of living conditions – the suffocation – of an ever larger part of the planet.

Queer PHOTO 2024 / Footscray, Newport, Werribee, Australia / 27 January - 24 March

Featuring 17 artists, 14 exhibitions, 30 interactive events, and 7 locations, the Festival of Queer Photography is a multi-pronged program transforming iconic venues and the streets of the West into a gallery of visual artworks from LGBTQIA+ artists. The program includes worshops spanning from photobooks, to queer history and street photography, film screenings and shows. Among the highlights is the exhibition Surfacing, which presents new and experimental photographic work and related writing from emerging artists Luce Nguyễn-Hunt, Rômy Pacquing McCoy, Dorcas Tang, and Estelle Yoon.