A Guide to June 2025 Photography Festivals & Exhibitions

Six Stations And A Golden Tooth by Lucija Rosc at PhMuseum Lab, Lodz Fotofestiwal, Bienal Fotografia do Porto, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Gibellina Photoroad Festival, and Belfast Photo Festival are among the photography events to visit next month.

Six Stations and a Golden Tooth by Lucija Rosc at PhMuseum Lab

Bologna, Italy / 5 June - 25 Sept

Which are the dynamics entangling generations and what is left of them when the elders leave? How can we carry the legacy of those we love into the future? How much of who we are derives from the education we had at home and that of our school system? Lucija Rosc offers no answer to these questions. They are rather a trigger to develop her research through playful, ambitious, and sometimes desperate attempts to understand. Her allies are her grandparents, who have a strong influence on her practice and embrace her mission. Their dialogue is open and rules-less. Most importantly, it is the vehicle through which they share their respective points of views, they exchange roles, and break generational boundaries.

Six Stations and a Golden Tooth is the first exhibition bringing together Lucija Rosc’s different bodies of work, realised between 2020 and 2025, and weaving them in a non-linear path, inviting the visitor to take part and reflect on the rules that define the way we live.

Discover more on PhMuseum Lab's website.

Lodz Fotofestiwal 2025

Łódź, Poland / 12 June - 22 June

Fotofestiwal in Łódź will feature the European premiere of Jitter Period, the first in Europe and second in the world exhibition of photographs by Yorgos Lanthimos, the visionary Greek filmmaker, known for some of the most exceptional and most widely discussed films of the 21st century: Dogtooth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Poor Things. The wide program also includes projects by international artists like Debi Cornwall, Hoda Afshar, Michał Sita, Maen Hammad, Máté Bartha, and more. Among them, Jason Fulford will prepare a site-specific installation in a special historical venue that will be open to the general audience thanks to the festival. Highlights include Let’s Play Photobooks! is an interactive exhibition on photobooks designed for children and the young at heart, the exhibition In Protest We Trust, from the Protestinphotobook collection, a special section of books on Palestine, the Dummy Award and the annual event of brunch with photobooks.

Furthermore, the main weekend of Fotofestiwal will be filled with the rhythm and beats of Ravekjavik, their partner festival, which is organised in the post-industrial spaces of former textile warehouses.  Plus, PhMuseum will screen the shortlisted projects from the PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant and a special screening of artist Aria Shahrokhshahi, selected by Krzysztof Candrowicz and Mafalda Ruao through the grant.

Find out more about the festival's program on their website.

Bienal'25 Fotografia do Porto

Porto, Portugal / 15 May - 29 June

The 2025 Bienal Fotografia do Porto, themed Tomorrow Today / Amanhã Hoje, will feature 16 exhibitions showcasing the work of 51 artists and 14 curators. The program is structured around four interconnected platforms—CONECTAR, SUSTENTAR, VIVIFICAR, and EXPANDIR—to foster critical reflection and situated action on themes of regeneration, interdependence, ecology, technology, memory, and affect. These platforms will host exhibitions, residencies, collaborative research, and territorial mediation across both urban and rural landscapes, engaging with local communities and international networks. The Bienal aims to cultivate a present that is attentive to the future through artistic research, curatorial practice, and public engagement.

Among the exhibited artists are Claudia Andujar, Pariacaca Collective, Christo Geoghegan, Smith, Mónica de Miranda, Sofia Borges, Joana Dionísio, Catarina Braga, Lara Jacinto, James Newitt, Dev Dhunsi, Donja Nasseri, Sheung Yiu, Angyvir Padilla, Paula Preto,and more, along with students from the Royal College of Art, London, and students from the University of South Wales Master of Art in Documentary Photography program.

Learn more about the exhibited artists on their website.

Copenhagen Photo Festival 2025

Copenhagen, Denmark / 12 June - 22 June

Focusing on the theme Fremkaldelser | Into The Light—the moment a hidden image emerges—the 2025 Copenhagen Photo Festival seeks to illuminate unseen narratives and cultivate insight into today's complex realities, from global conflicts to climate concerns. The festival features works by artists Elizabeth Pedinotti Haynes, Gil Bartz, Jansen van Staden, Rita Puig-Serra Costa, Arne Piepke, Daniela Friebel, Edoardo De Ruggiero, Mojgan Ghanbari, Thana Faroq, and Yujie Zhou, whose diverse practices explore themes of memory, intergenerational ethics, and personal discovery. Complementing the exhibitions is a wide program including a photo print market, guided tours, a masterclass led by Martin Parr, hands-on workshops, talks, and a photobook market, all designed to encourage a more discerning perspective and offer a beacon of hope in challenging times.

Discover more on the festival's website.

Gibellina Photoroad Festival 2025

Gibellina, Italy / 20 June - 20 August

The open-air photography festival returns to Gibellina, Sicily, to reimagine the relationship between photography and urban space by showcasing large-format prints, outdoor exhibitions, projections, and installations designed to interact with the town's unique environment. Featuring the works of artists like Alex Majoli, Arnaud Hendrickx, Feng Li, Giulia Parlato and Donato Di Trapani, Hélène Bellenger, Mandy Barker, Miriam Iervolino, Paolo Ventura, Rima Samman, Rossella Palazzolo and Sergio Zavattieri, the festival explores themes of time, history, and memory, questioning photography's role beyond mere representation and its capacity to revitalize collective memory and foster new dialogues with the public.

Find out more on Gibellina Photoroad's website.

Belfast Photo Festival 2025

Belfast, United Kingdom / 5 June - 30 June

The 11th edition of Belfast Photo Festival, themed Biosphere, transcends typical photography by presenting impactful imagery, commissions, and projects fostering positive change in our perception and interaction with Earth. It features works such as Mathieu Asselin's investigation into Monsanto, Karol Szymkowiak's exploration of a Polish lake's dual nature as a natural site and former nuclear target, Joe Laverty's poignant look at the ecological decline of Lough Neagh, Eli Durst's focus on young Americans in group settings, and Sophie Calle's conceptual exploration of observation and connection. Alongside a diverse selection of artists, the program includes workshops, talks, tours, screenings, and virtual portfolio reviews with international experts.

Learn more on their website.

GU.PHO. 2025

Guiglia, Italy / 20 June - 29 June

Under the new artistic direction of Giorgia Padovani and Marcello Coslovi, the fourth edition of the International Vernacular PhotoFestival returns to the Castle of Guiglia, Italy, showcasing thirteen Italian and international artists and collectives, alongside photobook publishers and galleries. Including also a collaboration from the Istituto di Istruzione Superiore A. Venturi, the festival explores vernacular photography through talks, project presentations, a photobook event with Leporello Books and Sugar Paper, independent film screenings, a workshop led by Lukas Birk, and portfolio reviews. Among the featured artists are Lukas Birk, Jean-Marie Donat, Tiane Doan na Champassak, Erik Kessels, Matthieu Nicol, Cemre Yeşil Gönenli, Alessandra Calò, Yvonne De Rosa, Francesco Lughezzani, Matteo Schiavoni, PetriPaselli, Sergio Smerieri, and Vernacular Social Club.

Find out more on their website.

------------------------

Also open this month:

Cameraitalia at IIC Stockholm / Stockholm, Sweden / 15 May - 19 Sept

Curated by Ilaria Campioli, Claudia Amatruda's Hypersea displays the project developed during her Nuove Traiettorie 2024/2025 residency. Inspired by water and the city's museums, Amatruda engages with the Institute's architecture through photography, video, a sculpture of a mutant being, and a kinetic water installation. Her work explores the relationship between body, nature, and technology, transforming her body into a shared territory of research on human-animal connections. Cameraitalia also showcases Paths To The Future – The Giovane Fotografia Italiana Collection, which presents a selection of works by the six winners of the Giovane Fotografia Italiana | Luigi Ghirri Prize since 2018.

Mesnographies 2025 / Les Mesnuls, France / 7 June - 14 July

Directed and curated by Claire Pathé and Maud Guillot, with Florence Moll as this year's godmother, the Mesnographies aim to democratize photography by bringing large-scale exhibitions to rural communities, bringing up a dialogue through the collaboration of established and emerging international photographers. The fourth edition, themed The Sisterhood, features artists such as Fernanda Tafner and Hoda Afshar, while the festival also emphasizes environmental awareness, showcased in works by M'hammed Kilito and Sandrine Elberg, alongside activities like a conference on global warming held in partnership with the MET and Maison Jean Monnet.

Sarajevo Photography Festival 2025 / Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina / 9 June - 15 June

The 2025 edition of the Sarajevo Photography Festival features exhibitions in diverse venues, free educational programs, and a competition led by international experts, emphasizing socially relevant themes and supporting diverse voices, particularly women in photography, while collaborating with cultural institutions and reaching a global audience.

Photo Basel 2025 / Basel, Switzerland / 17 June - 22 June

Held in Basel, the fair serves as a dynamic platform during Art Basel week, facilitating connections between collectors, visitors, and a diverse range of galleries, encompassing both emergent and established entities from Switzerland and the international sphere. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with significant historical and contemporary artworks.

© Lucija Rosc, PhMuseum Lab
i

© Lucija Rosc, PhMuseum Lab

© Máté Bartha, Lodz Fotofestiwal
i

© Máté Bartha, Lodz Fotofestiwal

© Josh Helliker, Bienal Fotografia do Porto
i

© Josh Helliker, Bienal Fotografia do Porto

© Feng Li, Gibellina Photoroad Festival
i

© Feng Li, Gibellina Photoroad Festival

© Elizabeth Pedinotti Haynes, Copenhagen Photo Festival
i

© Elizabeth Pedinotti Haynes, Copenhagen Photo Festival

© Mathieu Asselin, Belfast Photo Festival
i

© Mathieu Asselin, Belfast Photo Festival

© Erik Kessels and PetriPaselli, GU.PHO.
i

© Erik Kessels and PetriPaselli, GU.PHO.