A Guide to June's Best Photography Festivals

GetxoPhoto / Getxo, Spain / June 2 - 26

In this 16th edition, Getxophoto presents the theme of imagination and its importance in times of crisis. It will take place between 2 and 26 June in Getxo (Basque Country, Spain). Curated by Jon Uriarte, the festival aims to explore the role that imagination plays in giving meaning to life, and the possibilities that images offer to do so. How does the imagination operate in interpreting the past, present, and future, and in what other ways could it work? What is the role that visual narratives play in this work? What other types of images and imaginations can be developed to diversify and display alternative ways of understanding reality? 

Getxophoto is characterized by the radical defense of public space (physical and online), as a meeting place for mutual recognition, and a field for experimentation, play, and celebration. For this reason, most of their programs are made up of open-air installations, and are full of activities that encourage the public to join the festival, including night visits and openings that welcome everyone, to find out the details of their program and how to book these activities visit their website. The line up of artist comprises Bego Anton, Marisol Mendez, Gloria Oyarzabal, Cristobal Ascencio, Takashi Homma, and many others.

Plus, thanks to the PhMuseum 2022 Photography Grant prizes, photographer Alejandro Morales will have an exhibition of his work Archivo Juarez. The project shows how the artist, unable to travel due to the restrictions imposed because of Covid-19, began exploring the streets of Ciudad Juárez, his hometown, through Google Street View. 

Photoville / Brooklyn, (NY) US / June  4 - 26

Photoville is a New York-based non-profit organization working towards granting access to the art of photography to all, doing so through an annual open-air photography festival across New York City. This year, for the first time since 2012 the festival will be taking place during the summer between 4 and 26 June.  

Their program includes over 60 outdoor exhibitions in 20 locations across all five boroughs of New York that will present outstanding international photographers. Some of the highlights include artist KangHee Kim with Street Errands which will be on display at MetroTech in Brooklyn, and Rania Matar with the series Where Do I Go? presented by Leica Camera on view at Brooklyn Bridge Park will be

Their free public program is accessible both in-person and online, it will include an education day for NYC Students and curated tours. Furthermore, on June 4th they will be hosting a community celebration at Brooklyn Bridge Park. To find out more about their events and locations visit their website. 

Fotofestiwal / Łódź, Poland / June 9 - 26

Under the them of Community, Fotofestiwal comes back on June between the 9 and 26, with the aim to condemn Russia’s criminal actions against Ukraine. Making a strong statement on how community gives us a sense of identity and belonging in the everchanging modernity of the 21st century. In addition to over 40 exhibitions, the program will also include a number of events created for and with the inhabitants of Łódź. The Open program allows to review current phenomena in photography and to look at topics that interest photographers. 

From among 962 projects of the open call, the international jury selected works by seven artists, whose work will be exhibited during the festival. Among them Brackish Tears by Santanu Dey, Hayal & Hakikat: A Handbook of Forgiveness & A Handbook of Punishment by Cemre Yeşil Gönenli, The Nature of Things by Balázs Turós, and Mother’s Therapy by Mathias de Lattre. In addition to this, a number of activities will be held as part of the public program and several exhibitions will take place on the off-sites of the festival around the cultural venues of the city, to find out more visit their website. 

PHotoESPAÑA / Madrid, Spain / June 1 - August 28

Between June 1 and August 28, PHotoESPAÑA returns to address documentary photography in different forms. Doing so through a large program consisting of 120 exhibitions and 442 photographers and visual artists, plus professional programs and public activities. 

Vicent Todolí and Sandra Guimarães are this year’s invited curators, under the title Sculpting Reality they will present a program that will reflect on documentary-style photography as a document and aesthetic. This triple program will present a large collective exhibition and a cycle of conversations. With this, the curatorial duo offers a journey through the history of photography and the documentary style, from its beginnings in the 1930s to the present day, based on research into the collections of the Per Amor a l'Art Collection. 

The Official Section of Madrid will have several collective proposals that will address very diverse aspects of photography. The space Centrocentro will host 'Híbridos' (Hybrids), an exhibition showcasing the works of the photographers selected by PHotoESPAÑA to participate in the international Futures Photography platform. Also among the highlights of this year's program, the festival will value the work of women photographers who played a fundamental role in the history of this medium. Calcografía Nacional will have an exhibition that will include the works of Kati Horna and Margaret Michaelis. 

In the spirit of the 25th anniversary of PHotoESPAÑA, 27 national cities and international institutions have been invited to be part of the program activities; Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Cuba, Latvia, United States, Ireland, and Romania will be joining PHotoESPAÑA 2022. Find out more about the details of the program at their website. 

Organ Vida / Zagreb, Croatia / June 29 - July 01 

The Photography Organisation Organ Vida is a leading Croatian institution for promoting and researching contemporary photography practices in Croatia and on the international scene, since its foundation in 2008. This 12th edition ‘No Tears Left to Cry’ is dedicated to exploring the various manifestations of feeling in contemporary society. Organ Vida presents artworks that channel the prevalent negative feelings such as apathy or anxiety, as well as works that present affective alternatives to it. 

The festival gathers international contemporary artists who work with the medium of photography and/or its expanded form and whose work broadens the conventional understanding of photography by exploring the ways in which other mediums and technologies are expanding and enriching the photographic realm. They will be presenting works by 10 artists who are the finalists of the past Open Call from earlier this year, among them, the Norwegian artist and a film director Marin Håskjold, who stands out with her work ‘ Cool to Cry’  that will be showcased at the festival. The artists were selected by the international jury formed by Antonio Cataldo, Agnieszka Roguski, Jen Kratochvil, Ivana Meštrov, and Lovro Japundžić. Some of the selected artists are Yosi Negrín, Ana Vallejo, and Nicole Maria Winkler. Further details on their program will be soon communicated on their website.

Belfast Photo Festival / Belfast, UK / June 2 - 30

In their annual edition since 2011, the program at Belfast Photo Festival consistently addresses the political, social, and cultural climate of the city, and raising global issues, animating them through high caliber international photography. Titled The Verge this edition explores untold stories, under-represented narratives, and perspectives on the world that too often go unseen. Looking at emergent forms of image-making, exploring how artists are pushing the limits of the photographic medium, and questioning what constitutes photographic practice in the modern age. 

Their program consists of a series of 6 featured exhibitions. As a highlight, they will be presenting the works of conceptual artist Thomas Albdorf whose practice is between sculpture and photography. Showcasing a total of 3 bodies of work by him that depict landscapes and still-lifes. Another particularly interesting exhibition will be An Object of Vision which will exhibit works by Alexandra Lethbridge discussing the exclusion of women from historical narratives. Doing so through a series of both appropriated imagery and studio still lives, worked back into by the artist and presented through various mediums, including photographic prints, stone works, and hanging fabrics. Belfast Photo Festival will also be offering portfolio reviews with several industry professionals such as Azu Nwagbou and Beate Cegielska, to find out how to book a slot please visit their website. 

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ALSO OPEN THIS MONTH:

Copenhagen Photo Festival / Copenhagen, Denmark / June 2 - 12 

With the aim to build bridges between documentary and fine art photography, Copenhagen Photo Festival will be showcasing an ambitious program in Refshaleøen, an island in the epicenter of Copenhagen. The festival will focus on 'development', as new ways to challenge traditional exhibition methods, new ways to use photography as well as new perspectives and emerging talents. For the duration of the festival, their agenda will be looking at photography through three main topics;  Framing Identity, Framing Society, and Framing Vision. Find out more about the program on their website. 

Krakow Photo Month / Krakow, Poland / May 26 - June 26 

The jubilee 20th-anniversary edition of Krakow Photomonth began on 26 May. It is a focused, inquiring, and researched critical commentary on current political and social phenomena, and an expression of solidarity with Ukraine. As per tradition, the festival will promote emerging artists, and through workshops and meetings it provides a platform for students to exchange experiences, encouraging experimentation and an approach to working with images as creative play. Learn more on their site. 

Photo Lux Festival / Lucca, Italy / 21 May - 12 June 

The Festival collects and carries on the legacy of the Lucca Photo Fest, the photography and video art festival born in 2005. In 2012, driven by the desire to focus even more on quality, the event became a biennial with the new name Photolux Festival. This year they will be dealing with the topic of love under the title ‘You Can Call it Love’, in this way they approach photography no longer as a mirror or as a window, but as an X-ray machine, capable of seeing through us and giving voice to some sensations, desires, and emotions that we don't even know we have. Find out more about it on their website. 

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Check out our festivals page to get a complete view of what's coming up on the photography calendar over the next few months.