“Paris is one of the centres for fashion, and photography is a very natural medium for people from that creative world”

In the main fair is Hans P Kraus Jr, which represents William Henry Fox Talbot and other early pioneers, Pictorialists, and selected contemporary artists, for example; in the Digital sector is ArtVerse, a self-described “meeting point for digital art” founded by metaverse platform entrepreneurs Sebastien Borget and Arthur Madrid.

Within this, Planas has noticed some trends. Voices is returning after a successful first outing last year and it is curated by Dr Devika Singh, senior lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, and Nadine Wietlisbach, director of Fotomuseum Winterthur; they have selected work around landscapes and portraiture respectively, at first sight two very different themes which actually share wider preoccupations around nations, communities and identity. “Nadine’s contribution is visually more focused around portraiture, exploring relationships and forms of kinship as well as the critical reflection of the ambivalent dynamic between photographer and portrayed,” Planas notes. “Voices proposes a contemporary vision.” This kind of portraiture is on display in the Emergence sector too, which features work by Sibusiso Bheka, presented by Afronova, on life in the Thokoza township east of Johannesburg. Bheka’s work was on show last November in the PhotoSaintGermain festival in Paris.

Landscape can also be a way to talk about environmental issues and viewing the land beyond anthropocentrism and nation states; similarly, the Emergence sector features work by Claudia Fuggetti, who introduced her 2024 project Metamorphosis with a quote by ecological philosopher David Abram: “I think it is useful to approach the issue of the ecological crisis as a crisis of perception, a crisis in the way we experience, with our bodies, sounds, smells, the world around us,” states Abram. “It seems that we no longer perceive forests, mountains, rivers as living as we do.” Fuggetti’s work was recently on show in Paris in the Circulation(s) festival for young European artists; it is brought to the Emergence sector by the Spanish Camara Obscura Galeria de Arte.

Landscape also underpins another key display at Paris Photo, with the large entrance to the main sector devoted to work by Sophie Ristelhueber. Her practice engages with the human impact of war, but rather than focusing on current affairs, quietly depicts ravaged vistas; Ristelhueber has photographed extensively in the Balkans and SWANA region, and her best-known work, Fait (1992), illustrated the impact of the Gulf War. She was awarded the Hasselblad Award earlier this year, and her solo show at the Hasselblad Center opens in October.

In late 2024/early 2025 she showed new work titled WhattheFuck! at Galerie Poggi in Paris, pairing some of her most emblematic images with photographs of animals, with framed images simply propped up against the walls, work which will be on display in an embellished form at Paris Photo. “It’s going to be an outstanding installation displayed on a 36-metre wall,” says Planas. “An opening statement.”

Paris Photo will have a devoted auditorium this year which can seat up to 300 people. “As with the fair, we want to do something that has a broader vision, and that is transversal,” says Planas. “Taking as a starting point the content of the fair, our Conversations programme is meant to open up the current discussions about photography, allowing it to merge with other mediums,” she adds. “We will also explore different formats, such as Carmen Winant’s performative lecture or a collaboration with Sorbonne University in which Michel Poivert will be giving a masterclass at Paris Photo and invite his students to the fair.”

Poivert is a celebrated art and photography historian, and a professor at the Sorbonne; he has directed various schools at the university and between 2010–2019 was co-director of the research MA in history of photography at the school of the Louvre. Paris Photo has close ties with many museums and institutions, says Planas, and this year Devrim Bayar, senior curator at KANAL–Centre Pompidou in Brussels is designing the Elles × Paris Photo path of women artists. The institutions also come to the fair as visitors – “that’s one of our strengths,” Planas says, adding that this year more than 200 museum groups are coming, as well as curators from corporate collections.

“Paris also brings many people from the fashion world,” she continues. “Paris is one of the centres for fashion, and photography is a very natural medium for people from that creative world.” It is an interesting point, with the Grand Palais’ own refurbishment supported by Chanel, and Fondation Cartier now opening a huge new home opposite the Louvre, to name just two of the biggest recent examples.

This year, Paris Photo will also include a specific talks programme focused on photobooks, curated by the celebrated NYC book fair Printed Matter. “It will be a space for reflection, and also an opportunity to think about the relationship between artist books and photography,” says Planas. 

Paris Photo takes place in the Grand Palais from 13–16 November 2025

Since its founding, Yancey Richardson Gallery has built a program that prioritises a broad understanding of photographic practice. This exhibition underscores that approach, offering a concise but wide-ranging view of how the medium has developed across the gallery’s history, and how its artists continue to shape its future. 

Coming up in Autumn, two emerging artists Guanyu Xu and David Alekhuogie will exhibit, both of whom have received “a great deal of critical attention and museum engagement since their debut exhibitions” with the gallery in 2020 and 2021, Richardson says.

“Alekhuogie’s work explores the legacy of Western presentations of African art, particularly those by Walker Evans and Man Ray, to pose questions about how Black aesthetics are circulated, accessed, valued, and interpreted today,” Richardson expalins. “In Xu’s new series Resident Aliens he combines social practice, installation and photography, to create collage-like images depicting the domestic spaces of visa holders suspended between countries and cultures.”

Discover some of the images from the exhibition below.

From left to right: Hellen van Meene; Guanyu Xu; Kahn & Selesnick; Sandi Haber Fifield; Pello Irazu; Zanele Muholi; Mickalene Thomas; Mark Steinmetz. All images courtesy Yancey Richardson, New York.

Celebrating 30 Years is on until 15 August at Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York City

“Latin American photobooks and photography are gaining audiences in the United States, for political reasons. The US is now paying a lot of attention to the periphery and gender, so the Latin American region is very attractive to them”

RVP: How do you select the projects you work on? 

RR: We have many proposals arriving all the time from museums and photographers, but we could not dream of publishing them all. Producing a good book is very expensive and, ultimately, we are a small business. The decision-making depends on the quality of the project, whether it meets the editorial vision, and if it could coexist with the rest of the publications in our catalogue. I believe that any solid publishing project, with good photographs, a good sequence, and a clear narrative, allows you to make a good photobook. The dilemma lies instead on the format of the book, the materials to use, the types of paper, and so on.

RVP: How do you work with the designers, artists and others involved in the process?

RR: Sometimes jobs don’t need any design or editing, other times they need more work, and I handle the creative direction. We don’t have in-house designers, because we want to avoid a uniform style; instead, I decide on the designer whose style fits the project. We then enter a dialogue, in which the photographer is also involved and makes the final choices. But we normally cut down the number of images, so the reader finishes the book and says, ‘This is amazing. I wish they had put in more!’

RVP: What are the challenges facing publishers specialising in art and photography books?

RR: The only thing harming the photobook is that too many books are being published, and not all of them are of quality. Photobooks and art in general are in very good health, and people in the photo industry prefer to see images on paper [than online]. I think the market is growing, but in an uneven way. Photobooks either sell very well, or they don’t sell. The middle ground that once existed is disappearing.

RVP: What is the current state of the Latin American photobook ecosystem?

RR: There are very few good books in Latin America – they haven’t developed their own photographic language, and we struggle to find publications with a unique approach. Having said that, the market is maturing, and people have a better visual education. There is also a growing number of photographers and experts on photography and photobooks. Latin American photobooks and photography are gaining audiences in the United States, for political reasons. The US is now paying a lot of attention to the periphery and gender, so the Latin American region is very attractive to them. In fact, to better serve this market, all our books are in English, with some having Spanish translations.

RVP: How are Latin American photobooks received in Europe?

RR: Europe is more generalist, and the country that sets trends is France. It’s harder for Latin American photography to enter the European market because, culturally, it’s very alien to the French. In Spain it’s different because of the historical ties. The exhibition Fotografía pública / Photography in Print 1919–1939 at Museum Reina Sofía in 1999 and the publication The Photobook: A History Volume I by Martin Parr and Gerry Badger helped change perceptions. They helped to popularise collecting photobooks from Asia and Latin America, and to create a network of bookshops and dealers specialised in photography and photobooks from specific regions.

RVP: What initiatives has Editorial RM undertaken to promote Latin American photobooks internationally?

RR: We prioritise photographers with fewer options or less access to the photography world, provided their project is of quality. Since our DNA is mostly Latin American, we always have a preference towards photographers from the region. This is the differential point that sets us apart from other publishers. Our greatest success has been publishing Juan Rulfo’s literary works, then publishing major Latin American photographers and artists. Early on we realised that, although Latin American photography has outstanding exponents, it had not been sufficiently published or recognised internationally.

RVP: Which project are you particularly proud of and why?

RR: Our first book on Luis Barragán’s work. This book emerged from a need and a gap in the market, and it was so successful – reprinted numerous times – that it allowed us to launch a second and then a third book. That momentum led us to conceive of Editorial RM within Editorial Reverté. But our biggest lessons have come from mistakes. We’ve made conceptual mistakes, from not fully understanding the market to taking risks on projects without a clear audience. We’ve also failed at times to read the moment or anticipate trends. Each misstep has forced us to improve in every aspect. Observing the work of our peers has also allowed us to learn and evolve.

RVP: What are your plans for the future?

RR: Strengthening our natural markets, America and Spain, and improving distribution. We also want to dedicate more time to the conceptualisation of our books, and to finding a balance between publishing high-selling titles and supporting projects by lesser-known, less commercially viable authors, whose exceptional talent deserves recognition. This year we will introduce book series for the first time, launching Biblioteca Popular Mexicana, a collection of popular books about Mexico, and a series dedicated to female photographers across the Americas, from Canada to Argentina.

RVP: Do you plan for book number 500 to be a special publication?

RR: No. The editorial is a bit anti-system, we don’t even have a logo. We are for the job, as we say in Catalan, which means working because we have a passion for what we do, letting go of all the typical marketing strategies.

editorialrm.com

© June T. Sanders

Trans people have historically been on the margins – threatened by healthcare policies and ostracised by social norms. The arts have been a place to find communal solace, a space to express concerns safely whilst finding joy.

Today, in the US, the community faces a new threat; lack of funding in the arts as a new administration is heralded in. How are trans American photographers reacting to the changes in policy, both socially and culturally?

In this long-read, Danielle Ezzo speaks to four trans photographers in the US at a time of insecurity, calling in to question how these issues could eventually spiral out to affect several wider communities

Under the new federal administration in the United States, support for the LGBTQIA+ community now comes with an increasingly explicit cost. The cultural funding landscape is shifting, and programming and research that fall under vaguely “improper ideology”, as stated in one of the The White House’s executive orders Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, are being sidelined through grant restrictions and behind-the-scenes institutional compliance. For many photographers centering identity as a theme of their practice – particularly trans photographers – the changes signal a compound set of potential issues.

As it stands, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will be eliminating funding that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion and underserved communities in the 2026 fiscal year. New administrative requirements, including mandated certifications that recipients do not promote “gender ideology”, have effectively excluded queer- and trans-centered programming from eligibility. At the same time, major institutions such as the Smithsonian are threatened by impending restructuring, with leadership appointments signalling a retreat from diversity-driven programming.

The pressing concern right now is, what happens if and when institutions that had once embraced queer artists pull back support in all its various forms? This is not solely a funding issue – it’s an order of operations issue. Before an artist can apply for a grant, print a portfolio, or ship work to a gallery, they must first be able to access healthcare, keep up with rent, and navigate complex systems that may or may not recognise their existence. For many trans photographers, the question right now isn’t how to fund the work, it’s whether the conditions for care will be met.

“It’s just another level of my basic needs not being met,” Pia Guilmoth, a trans woman photographer based in rural Maine, shares. She’s currently navigating the anxiety of potentially losing access to hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery that was covered as recently as last year and is now subject to growing uncertainty under both state and federal policies. “There are weeks where I spend all my time on the phone with health providers and state agencies just trying to convince them I’m eligible.”

“If institutions platform queer and trans artists when it looks good, but drop them the moment there’s risk, then their commitment was never real”

– Leah DeVun

The artist and scholar, Leah DeVun, describes the atmosphere as one of “anticipatory obedience.” Her recent series, Resemblance – photographs of her partner, a transgender father, and their child – was at risk of being pulled from a group exhibition after being deemed “too risky”. Not because of nudity or content, but because of what a hypothetical backlash might infer from the sight of a trans parent holding their child. “It’s only because there’s a transgender person in the photo that we’re even having this conversation,” DeVun mentions. “Artists have been making nearly identical images of straight and cis families.” 

This kind of preemptive censorship – made in fear, not policy – may be harder to call out than budget cuts, but it’s no less insidious. As DeVun points out, “If institutions platform queer and trans artists when it looks good, but drop them the moment there’s risk, then their commitment was never real.”

Jesse Bandler Firestone, an independent curator in New York City notes, “When queer and trans artists are included only in the name of progress, it’s easy for institutions to quietly back out the moment that symbolism becomes inconvenient.” For trans photographers, especially those in early or mid-career stages, these changes compound existing barriers: less institutional support, fewer exhibition opportunities, and a growing sense that support of any kind is conditional.

What’s unfolding is not a single decisive rupture, but a series of drastic and subtle retractions alike. Artists self-censor for fear of their rights and livelihoods being curtailed. Several artists I interviewed were unwilling to speak on the record, in fear of what ramifications might be in store if they voiced their concerns. Institutions pivot toward “safe” programming. Donors quietly apply pressure. And these costs are not just affecting creative expression, but morale. It requires energy to keep insisting that one’s work matters when the systems around you suggest otherwise.

For June T. Sanders, a trans artist, writer, educator, and curator in rural Washington State, this moment has underscored not only the fragility of institutional inclusion but also the endurance of community-based models. As co-founder of From Here On Out, a grassroots publishing collective, she’s long worked outside traditional funding structures, relying instead on mutual aid and informal networks of support. “We’ve never had a budget,” she tells me. “And maybe because of that, we’re not in the line of fire.” 

That self-reliance now feels less like an alternative and more like a necessity. In Sanders’ teaching, too, they’ve begun to rethink their role – not as a fixed authority, but as a responsive figure, one who can meet students where they are. “I’ve never had strong boundaries between who I am and who I am in the classroom,” she says. “I live in a small community – if I can help a student outside the institution, I will.” 

It’s a model that resists detachment and instead embraces care, proximity, and adaptation as political strategies. “We’re at a point where we need to stop pretending everything is normal,” she tells me. “But that doesn’t mean we stop. It means we start imagining differently.”

While national arts organisations scramble to reorganise in the face of political pressure, some curators are returning to a more fundamental question – who really makes culture? For Jesse Firestone, it’s not major museums. “Large institutions aren’t responsible for generating culture,” he tells me. “They capture it. They canonise. But it doesn’t begin there.”

This distinction feels crucial right now, as many of the country’s organisations scrap DEI initiatives for fear of political retaliation or donor withdrawal. Their caution underscores a broader truth: that real cultural production, which is reflective and responsive to the zeitgeist, has never truly depended on federal funding or museum commissions. Instead, it’s found in smaller spaces, regional arts centers, artist-run collectives, grassroots queer organisations, and even nightlife. 

“There’s power in the nimbleness of mid-size and small-scale institutions,” Firestone says. “They’ve learned to do more with less – which, paradoxically, gives them the freedom to take bigger risks.”

Many trans photographers are turning toward other models of community-making – publishing zines, forming collectives, and relying on mutual aid. But these strategies, while resourceful, are not new. They belong to a longer lineage of queer survival and don’t just see photography as a means of cultural production, but a form of defiance. “It’s a model I’ve employed in my rural community too,” Sanders says, “where we have different forms of collectives all the time that are doing communal work or arts work.” 

The logic is one of sustainability over visibility – working locally and making art not as content, but as a form of care. For Lindsay Perryman, the recent policy shifts only sharpen the stakes. “I see this decision affecting me by making the work more crucial for today’s climate,” they tell me. What began as a personal process of understanding their own identity has become a broader effort to affirm and archive trans and nonbinary existence. 

Their series Tops, soon to be published as a book with Palm Studios, emerged from that drive and blends intimate self-portraiture with images of healing and interdependence. “The people that I engage with and follow [online] are who I make the work for,” they explain. 

For years, platforms such as Instagram offered artists access to a global audience, but now that the platforms and their owners’ allegiances are more transparently political, photographers like Sanders ask, “what does visibility actually mean for a marginalised community, when the platforms themselves are tied to fascist billionaires?” 

DeVun echoes the same concern: “Visibility has always been a double-edged sword. There’s power in being seen – but there’s also surveillance. There’s always been risk.” Increasingly, trans photographers are moving toward encrypted channels, private newsletters, and closed groups of one form or another. The goal is no longer just to reach as many people as possible, but to protect the conditions under which images can still be made and shared safely.

At a time when social media feels unreliable at best and unsafe at its worst, many small arts organisations are going back to the basics. Philo Cohen, founder and director of Speciwomen, a non-profit based in New York City, has long been skeptical of social platforms as a primary tool for visibility. “I try to turn to the physical as much as I can,” she says. “I don’t believe that digital visibility is safe right now.” 

Instead, Speciwomen’s model centers around print publications, residencies, and in-person programming. In response to broader instability, Speciwomen launched an annual membership program that allows patrons to pledge $100 a year in exchange for receiving all the titles they publish. “It was really important for me to do the membership model so that everyone could participate – and also receive something beautiful and simple in exchange.” 

Beyond publishing, careful documentation of public programs has also become a strategy of protection, both for archival continuity and to safeguard the presence of artists whose work might be vulnerable to scrutiny or violence. Trans photographers have always worked at the edge of institutional recognition, invited in during moments of cultural cachet, and at times, abandoned when the political winds shift. 

“We’ve never needed them in the first place,” Sanders says of large museums. “They’ve always, in some way, been a trap for us.” The pull of recognition is strong, but its cost is becoming harder to ignore. What’s emerging in its place is not a retreat, but a pivot: one that is slower, less virtual. Visibility, in this sense, is no longer about putting every part of your identity on display, but a practice of intimacy and of being seen by the right people, in the right context.

Light Work, a nonprofit in Syracuse, New York, was born out of student protests in 1973 and a need for a community darkroom during the Vietnam War. That ethos remains embedded in the organisation’s mission to represent a range of under-recognised lens-based artists who are in need of support. “We’re lucky,” Daniel Boardman, Light Work’s director, tells me. “This kind of programming has been so baked into what Light Work has done for fifty years, we haven’t had to pivot. Supporting artists from diverse backgrounds is just what we do.” 

But continuity doesn’t mean complacency. Light Work takes a deliberate, artist-first approach. “Some artists just can’t share images of themselves,” Boardman explains.

“It might be dangerous. So for us, it’s about asking the artist – what do you want? What do you need? What’s safe for you right now?”

The responsibility for curatorial advocacy and creating space for trans and queer voices is shifting away from legacy institutions and toward those with fewer ties to federal oversight. In response, independent curators, local organisations, and even patrons have a responsibility to steward art. “Collecting shouldn’t just be about acquisition,” Firestone adds. “It should be a form of conservation. A way of ensuring that artists who are most at risk – financially, socially, politically – can continue to make work at all.” 

He goes on to emphasise that collectors have a role to play in shaping a more sustainable ecosystem: “If something moves you, if you feel connected to the work, support it. Buy it. That’s not just a financial transaction, it’s a gesture of belief in that artist’s future.” 

But though many in the art world have an enlivened sense of enthusiasm for and duty towards peer-to-peer support, DeVun reminds me this moment also demands action from those with power. “I do think larger institutions have a responsibility to make a stand,” she says “Even if it’s not going to change anything in the immediate moment, it matters that someone said something – that they drew a line in the sand.” 

Because, as she points out; “These institutions have the attention of the world’s stage. They have the opportunity to signal that they are standing for something, even if it comes at a cost.”

@ldevun, @p_guilmoth, @junetsanders, @lindsayperryman, @speciwomen

Chiara Bellamoli, a student in the same cohort, also explored the restorative power of nature, but from a very different angle. Bellamoli posed the question: Would you give up your house to live in a mobile home? – and followed a handful of women who have done just that. The photographer notes in her accompanying text for ‘Freiheim’ – from the German words ‘frei’ (‘free’) and ‘heim’ (‘home’) – that “contemporary nomadism is growing in Europe, inspired by concerns that are as much sociopolitical as existential”. Attentively and sensitively, she photographs women enjoying downtime in their mobile homes and driving through transient landscapes. Within a capitalist society that encourages overconsumption, and a housing crisis paralysing many, these women (of all ages and from varied backgrounds) embrace a radical lifestyle choice, shrugging off property and possessions to find a renewed connection to the wider world. Bellamoli strives to represent life on the road authentically, photographing at different times of day and using windows and doors as framing devices.

By contrast, Steven Dowie’s Final Major Project is focused on another species altogether. Completed in 2022, ‘The South Road’ is a documentary survey of the world of pigeon-racing in the southwest of England: his work introduces viewers to the little-known domain of the pigeon fancier. In addition to examining the relationship between humans and animals, he implicitly addresses themes of national identity since pigeon racing (long practiced in the country) today has been impeded by Britain’s exit from the EU, thanks to new regulations surrounding the transport of birds into France, Belgium, or Spain. His images include close-ups of plumage and zoomed out photos of silhouettes in the sky, covering the scope of the creatures on land and in the air. The humans clutching the birds show a fondness for an otherwise unappreciated urban animal whose presence is not much appreciated.

Beyond the Final Major Project, Falmouth University’s programme equips students to thrive outside the parameters of academia. As Alexander says: “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to immerse yourself in your practice… and figure out what you really want to make work about and do with your photography – what you want it to contribute to the world.” That sense of fulfilment took a feminist bent for two graduates from Falmouth’s online master’s, Emma Davies and Philippa James. Helping reframe photographic history, the duo organised a pop-up reading room called ‘Women and the Photobook’, designed to spotlight female photographers. Spanning Sophie Calle, Lee Miller, Julia Margaret Cameron, and other icons of the medium, the pop-up – held at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford during the Photo Oxford Festival – enabled visitors to sit, browse comfortably, and access new references. The success of the project spurred other iterations, with reading rooms opening in London and Bristol.

Graduates and students from the programme have also gone on to receive acclaim for their work. Current student Natalie Persoglio won the 2024 Emerging Artist Award at The Photography & Video Show: an annual event drawing in professional photographers, film-makers, content creators and image-making industry representatives at Birmingham NEC. She began her photographic practice with a Kodak Pocket Instamatic as her first camera. Street photography, live gigs and festivals across the UK have been recurrent throughout her work. The awarded series was ‘Last Bus Home’ – part of her Falmouth University master’s project – which surveyed loneliness in urban space. Persiglio incorporated slow shutter speeds while taking candid shots of people commuting on public transport.

“Developing your critical acuity makes you more capable of engaging positively with all aspects of society and culture”

Despite the current economic climate, many photography students are carving out professional pathways. Alexander notes: “It’s hard to avoid slipping into cliches like ‘these are really challenging times for photography’, but the reality is that photography has been at the forefront of how people choose to represent things since the mid-19th century”. Photography’s role has only become more central, with image literacy increasingly essential to decoding our day-to-day life.

Beyond becoming an accomplished photographer, the master’s degree at Falmouth University provides students with skills that go beyond image-making. As Alexander remarks: “Developing your critical acuity makes you more capable of engaging positively with all aspects of society and culture.” Honing nuanced perspective is a much-needed tool, crucial for the photographer as much as a person reflecting on the world around them.

Falmouth University is delighted to offer 1854 members £1000 tuition fee discount on all online master’s degrees including MA Photography (Online) at their esteemed Institute of Photography. 1854 members can also benefit from 10% discount off eligible Falmouth University short courses including all Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) training.

T&Cs apply. Contact Falmouth University for more details.

“Sometimes you see a picture which is famous and iconic, and it’s not a good picture, and so there is always the question, ‘Why did it become so iconic?’”

Initially FOTO ARSENAL WIEN had a temporary home in the MuseumsQuartier Wien, where it hosted work by cutting-edge image-makers such as Laia Abril and Karolina Wojtas. But the plan was always to move into the Arsenal, which is based in south-east Vienna and also hosts a military museum, the archive of the Austrian Film Museum, opera rehearsal studios, and apartments. Hoffmann points out it is only a 10-minute walk from the main train station, but concedes it is less central than the MuseumsQuartier and will need to become a destination. 

“The Arsenal is like a village in the city, and we’re thinking how to develop it,” he says. “The site is quite big, and some of the other buildings are empty; it also includes green space and is next to a park, and that brings another element. I am hoping to activate those areas with public installations, particularly during FOTO WIEN.”

FOTO WIEN takes place every other year and is part of the European Month of Photography; one of Hoffmann’s early tasks was to organise the 2023 edition, and FOTO ARSENAL WIEN will look after it in 2025 and beyond. Taking place across the city, FOTO WIEN includes events in private galleries, studios, and institutions, with well over 100 programme partners involved last time. The 2025 edition will be similarly expansive but Hoffmann plans to make the FOTO ARSENAL WIEN a focal point, organising a book fair, a symposium and other exhibitions and events there. The 2023 FOTO WIEN discussion programme focused on Ukraine and Poland and he plans to expand on that this year too, particularly as EMOP includes many Eastern European capitals, “and as Eastern Europe is an interesting place, politically”. 

In the ‘off’ years when the EMOP is not happening, FOTO ARSENAL WIEN will organise another festival, Vienna Digital Cultures. It is part of an ongoing partnership with Kunsthalle Wien, the city’s state-run contemporary art museum and FOTO ARSENAL WIEN’s ‘sister’ institution; put simply, Kunsthalle Wien and FOTO ARSENAL WIEN will take it in turns to organise the annual Vienna Digital Cultures. It is a new venture but based on an existing model – originally conceived of in 2020 as the Festival of Media Arts, the festival explores the intersection between contemporary art, lens-based media, digital culture, and technology. 

On top of this, FOTO ARSENAL WIEN is joining Futures, the network of European institutions which champions emerging image-makers. Co-funded by the European Union, it also includes organisations such as CAMERA (Italy), FOMU (Belgium), and Void (Greece). “Futures is very interesting and so vivid,” says Hoffmann, adding, “I have a small team, five or six people, so we will not get bored [at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN]. It’s really a challenge to build up this structure.”

This challenge is partly what attracted him to the job, having done something similar with C/O Berlin; the German institution gained the name ‘C/O’ because it moved venues so often in its early years, before settling in Amerika Haus in 2014 (another converted 1950s venue, Hoffmann jokes he loves construction sites). Unlike C/O Berlin, FOTO ARSENAL WIEN does not have a permanent collection, instead following the ‘kunsthalle’ exhibition model popular in northern Europe (and also followed by The Photographers’ Gallery in London). Hoffmann will spend about 50 per cent of his budget on staff and another 25 to 30 per cent or so on the venue, leaving 25 per cent or less for the programme; he will need to raise additional funds via ticket sales and donors, he says, adding that one of the reasons he wanted to co-organise Vienna Digital Cultures was that it gave him budget to employ a digital curator, in a co-hire with the Kunsthalle. 

More philosophically, working on the festival involves exploring images as they are now most often encountered – online – expanding on the FOTO ARSENAL WIEN’s remit to cover the everyday and the near-future more broadly. “For the 2026 Vienna Digital Cultures we will be focusing on immersive, digital questions,” he explains. “Of course we will also do that at the FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, but where that is related to photography and lens-based media, on the other hand we have the question of what is surrounding us.” 

This question still underpins much of Hoffmann’s thinking at the FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, because he believes the ready online availability of photography has shifted the role of institutions. Where once galleries offered places to encounter images, now at least part of their responsibility is to stop the visual flow “for half an hour, maybe 20 minutes – we have to work fast”. Similarly, now that we encounter so much information via images rather than text, we need to learn media literacy as much as basic literacy. He is planning a strong educational programme at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, encouraging visitors to think how to handle this “inflation of visual culture”, including how to organise their digital archives “or even how to just delete some images”. 

The FOTO ARSENAL WIEN educational programme will also drill down into the history of photography, and the building will include an analogue darkroom, accessible via its own entrance, in which users can literally get to grips with the medium. The next generation is fascinated by analogue and alternative processes, Hoffmann points out, valuing their sheer physicality over the ‘virtual’ on-screen world. “When I started in C/O Berlin in 2005, the first thing we moved out and put on the street was the darkroom, because these were digital times – we didn’t need a darkroom!” he says. “Then the first thing we reinstalled was a darkroom. This chemical process on a piece of paper is a kind of magic – something happening there, not just ink laying onto a piece of paper.”

But thinking through visual culture also goes deeper than the contemporary moment or the physicality of images, and through the programming and curation at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, Hoffmann hopes to prompt broader questions about photography and power. During Paris Photo he co-organised a conference at MEP with Magnum Photos, for example, in which Magnum photographers, and curators such as Florian Ebner (Centre Pompidou) and Simon Baker (MEP) discussed archives and their use; part of the build-up to the forthcoming exhibition at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN, it also highlighted the circulation and distribution of images – key issues that often get lost or overlooked.

“Sometimes you see a picture which is famous and iconic, and it’s not a good picture, and so there is always the question, ‘Why did it become so iconic?’,” Hoffmann muses. “The answer is, it became iconic because we know it, because it circulated so much. Say there’s a photograph of Nixon and Khrushchev during the Cold War, it’s not a good photograph but it’s transmitting something, and then it’s enormously circulated, it’s published in Life magazine. You know, in the period before TV, Life had a distribution of 6 million magazines per week, and there were something like eight people reading each magazine. Certain images were just burned into our consciousness – this is important to recognise.”

fotoarsenalwien.at

“If your photo can make someone stop and stare for five seconds, it’s already a winner”

– Varun Aditya – OnePlus Photography Awards 2025 Judge

“As a judge, I’m looking for storytellers,” says Aditya, by way of advice to entrants to the awards. “If your photo can make someone stop and stare for five seconds, it’s already a winner. And what makes someone stop and take notice for that long? A great image tells a story. It has layers. So, add elements to your frame. Let it tell a story.”

Aditya says that technical skill is only a small factor in making engaging photographs, arguing that composition and storytelling should be your focus. “Of course, technical skill is necessary, but I’m not talking about aperture, shutter speed, or ISO – so don’t overcomplicate that. You need to be technically proficient enough to operate your camera instinctively when that magical moment comes. However, what truly matters is how you frame the scene and convey a compelling story with your image.” 

Phone cameras have come a long way in the 11 years since OnePlus launched its first model, with the gap between professional and mobile models narrowing with each generation. The OnePlus 13, for example, has a 50-megapixel resolution, comparable to many high-end pro cameras. And that comes in useful for making big prints, or for allowing the flexibility of cropping in without fear of losing detail. “But what matters more is how fast and well-equipped the camera is for spontaneous shots, and here the OnePlus 13 excels. The speed, performance and versatility of the camera make it an excellent tool for professional work, especially in fast-paced environments where you need to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

Aditya agrees with the old adage that ‘the best camera is the one you have with you’, and these days that means the camera on your phone. “It’s especially true for someone in my line of work,” he says. “We all know that the most magical moments often happen in an instant, and when you’re out in the wild, you don’t always have the time to set up a professional camera.

“The OnePlus 13 is robust, and I’m very dependent on it, actually,” says the photographer, who cites the maker’s latest generation model for its “speed, reliability and resilience – all in a compact device that’s ready whenever my mind says, ‘Yes, go for it!’”

The smartphone has changed our relationship with photography, he says, adding that his own journey began with the mobile in his pocket. “I’m incredibly grateful that I started that way because it’s given me a deep understanding that the essence of photography is the same – whether you use a phone camera or a professional camera – it’s all about capturing moments, telling stories and sharing experiences. 

“Sharing is one of the best things we humans do. It keeps us connected and alive. And photography is a beautiful way to do it. What started as a way to capture memories has evolved into a tool for global connection, bringing people together through the stories we tell with photographs.” So, unlike some professionals who rue the fact that now everyone thinks that they are a photographer, Aditya says that, “everyone should become a photographer”, adding: “Art is to share and cherish.”

Contests have been important in advancing Aditya’s own career. A decade ago, he knew that he wanted to dedicate himself to professional photography. “However, the road wasn’t clear, and I needed a milestone to guide me.” In 2016, he won the Nat Geo Nature Photographer of the Year for Animal Portraits with a close-up picture of a young green vine snake captured during monsoon season in the Western Ghats of India. “It gave me the direction I needed. Since then, my dream has been simple: to continue doing what I love. Awards serve as a powerful form of recognition and motivation, but, at the end of the day, it’s the love for what I do and the support of those around me that keeps me inspired.”

And that experience feeds into his advice for anyone thinking about entering the OnePlus Photography Awards. More than just a competition, this award is a place to share stories with a like-minded group of mobile photographers, so an ideal way to share your interests and single-minded vision. “My biggest suggestion is to forget about winning the award,” says Aditya “Focus on what you love. Tell the stories that matter to you. Capture something funny, something meaningful, something simple that needs attention. Keep it uncomplicated. Don’t think about the judges, just focus on your passion.”

Enter 2025 OnePlus Photography Awards now. Deadline June 30, 2025.

“AIPAD needs to continue to evolve and grow with the market it represents, which includes encouraging the next generation of dealers, artists, curators and collectors.”

– Lydia Melamed Johnson, Director, AIPAD

Discovery shines a spotlight on emerging galleries and fresh or rediscovered talent through single-artist and tightly curated thematic presentations, reflecting AIPAD’s commitment to evolving with the medium while providing a platform for the next generation of photographic voices. “AIPAD needs to continue to evolve and grow with the market it represents, which includes encouraging the next generation of dealers, artists, curators and collectors,” reflects Melamed Johnson. First-time exhibitors like Galerie Alta (Andorra), Galerie Julian Sander (Germany), LARGE GLASS (UK), and Ungallery (Argentina) will join a roster of long-time participants, creating a dynamic interplay between contemporary perspectives and the historical giants of photography.  

“We want to ensure that AIPAD stays encyclopaedic for the medium… Last year truly showcased contemporary photography in all its current forms, breaking the prevailing thought that AIPAD has been more historically oriented,” continues Melamed Johnson.

Returning favourites such as Bruce Silverstein, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Michael Hoppen bring decades of expertise and iconic works to the fair, complementing the energy and experimentation of newer participants. Together, these exhibitors create a fair that bridges photography’s legacy with its future.  

This year’s fair also features a revamped layout and a renewed focus on photobooks. For the first time, publishers will be integrated into the main exhibition space, underscoring the critical role of photography publishing in shaping the medium. Among the participating publishers are GOST Books (London), Setanta Books (London), Thames & Hudson (London) and Atelier EXB (Paris), who will share space in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall alongside galleries, fostering a unique blend of visual and printed storytelling.  

Beyond the exhibitors, The Photography Show 2025 offers a robust slate of programming. Four days of AIPAD Talks, led by thought leaders in the arts, will explore the intersections of photography, culture, and history. Guided walkthroughs and educational events will add depth to the visitor experience, providing opportunities for deeper engagement with the works on display.

The panels will include conversations between first-generation immigrant artists, “as well as a great panel on 19th Century photography,” Melamed Johnson tells me. New partnerships include PBS All Arts and its new show Portrait Mode with Sophie Elgort, and AIPAD is also in the process of launching a podcast partnership with Subtext & Discourse and Michael Dooney.

AIPAD will honour a transformative figure in photography with its annual award, presented during the newly introduced Opening Night Party on 23 April. The award, known for recognising individuals who have reshaped the way we perceive photography, reinforces the fair’s mission to champion innovation and excellence in the field.  

From emerging voices to established names, from thought-provoking talks to the tactile pleasure of photobooks, this year’s fair offers an inspiring exploration of photography’s potential.  

Looking forward, AIPAD hopes to continue its support for its members and broaden awareness and audiences for the medium of photography. “This means using new modes of media and collaboration,” says Melamed Johnson, “while keeping to the standards we are renowned for and hold the industry to.”

Here are the exhibitors at AIPAD’s Photography Show this year:

• 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop | New York, NY
• Andrew Smith Gallery | Tucson, AZ
• Bildhalle | Zurich, Switzerland | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Bruce Silverstein | New York, NY
• Candela Gallery | Richmond, VA
• Catherine Couturier Gallery | Houston, TX
• Cavalier Galleries | New York, NY | Greenwich, CT | Nantucket, MA | Palm Beach, FL
• Charles Isaacs Photographs | New York, NY
• CLAMP | New York, NY
• Contemporary/Vintage Works | Chalfont, PA
• Daniel / Oliver Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
• Danziger Gallery | New York, NY
• Deborah Bell Photographs | New York, NY
• Echo Fine Arts | Cannes, France
• Form. Gallery | Dinard, France
• Galeria Alta | Andorra
• Galerie Johannes Faber | Vienna, Austria
• Galerie Julian Sander | Cologne, Germany
• GALERIE XII | Los Angeles, CA | Paris, France
• Galerija Fotografija Gallery | Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Gilman Contemporary | Ketchum, ID
• Gitterman Gallery | New York, NY
• HackelBury | London, UK
• Hans P. Kraus Jr. Inc. | New York, NY
• Higher Pictures | Brooklyn, NY
• Holden Luntz | Palm Beach, FL
• Howard Greenberg Gallery | New York, NY
• Ilaria Quadrani Fine Art | New York, NY
• Jackson Fine Art | Atlanta, GA
• jdc Fine Art | San Diego, CA
• Joseph Bellows Gallery | La Jolla, CA
• Keith de Lellis Gallery | New York, NY
• Koslov Larsen | Houston, TX
• La Galerie de L’Instant | Paris, France
• LARGE GLASS | London, UK
• Marshall Gallery | Los Angeles, CA
• Michael Hoppen | London, UK
• MIYAKO YOSHINAGA | New York, NY
• MUUS Collection | Tenafly, NJ
• Monroe Gallery of Photography | Santa Fe, NM
• Nailya Alexander Gallery | New York, NY
• Obscura Gallery | Santa Fe, NM
• Olivier Waltman Gallery | Miami, FL | Paris, France
• Patricia Conde Galería | Mexico City, Mexico
• Paul M. Hertzmann, Inc. | San Francisco, CA
• Peter Fetterman Gallery | Santa Monica, CA
• Photo Discovery | Paris, France
• POLKA Galerie | Paris, France
• Richard Moore Photographs | Oakland, CA
• Rick Wester Fine Art | New York, NY
• Robert Klein Gallery | Boston, MA
• Robert Mann Gallery | New York, NY
• Rose Gallery | Santa Monica, CA
• Sasha Wolf Projects | New York, NY
• Scheinbaum & Russek Ltd. | Santa Fe, NM
• Scott Nichols Gallery | Sonoma, CA
• Staley-Wise Gallery | New York, NY
• Stephen Bulger Gallery | Toronto, ON
• Stephen Daiter Gallery | Chicago, IL
• Throckmorton Fine Art | New York, NY
• Toluca Fine Art | Paris, France
• Ungallery | Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Vasari | Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Weston Gallery, Inc. | Carmel, CA
• Yancey Richardson | New York, NY

Photobook + Partners

• 10×10 Photobooks | New York, NY
• American Photography Archives Group | New York, NY
• Aperture | New York, NY
• Atelier EXB | Paris, France
• Convoke | New York, NY
• Datz Press | Seoul, South Korea
• GOST Books | London, UK
• Gravy Studio | Philadelphia, PA
• KGP MONOLITH | New York, NY
• L’Artiere | Bologna, Italy
• Le Plac’Art Photo | Paris, France
• Light Work | Syracuse, NY
• MW Editions | New York, NY
• Nearest Truth Editions | Slovakia
• Saint Lucy Books | Baltimore, MD
• Setanta Books | London, UK
• Thames & Hudson | London, UK | New York, NY
• TIS Books | New York, NY
• Workshop Arts | Brooklyn, NY

Find out more at aipad.com/show

“Being good at finding the best (and previously overlooked) books of the last fifty years or so has given us a step up into publishing”

– David Owen and Angela Hill

“I like to think people come here to find what they didn’t know they were looking for,” Hall tells me. He didn’t quite expect for High Valley to gain the allure it’s achieved today – running the shop solo, he has his hands completely full, but still says that “It has been very positive to get validation from diverse sources.” Now, one difficulty remains: “finding room to cram all the treasures in.”

Over in London, IDEA has become an institution of bookselling and rare print material for decades. After couple Angela Hill and David Owen had sourced the books for the once iconic concept store Colette in Paris. From there, they picked up Dover Street Market which remains their main distributor – in London, New York, Tokyo and LA. 

After the birth of Instagram, IDEA “exploded,” the couple reminisces. They use the page to catalogue images from their books, which span mostly ‘90s high fashion, popular and subculture, and photography. Their archive includes David Lee’s The Cocaine Consumer’s Handbook and the James Is A Girl cover issue of The New York Times Magazine, 1996, written by Jennifer Egan and photographed by Nan Goldin, “probably the single most important ‘90s fashion and photography reference,” says IDEA’s archive page. And their current collection boasts the Lost in Translation photobook, a signed copy of Soldiers by Wolfgang Tillmans, and several vintage Jurgen Teller editorial monographs (of course).

Despite the fact the store is marked simply by a blank door on the street and a small bell, their low-key exterior is no reflection of both the swanky store inside of their Soho building, and the reputation they’ve reached as the go-to vintage book supplier in Europe. 

“IDEA happens to be an acronym for our family,” Hill and Owen tell me. “Iris, David, Edith and Angela. It was Iris that thought of it aged around 10 years old.” They took the same retro, on-the-nose approach to naming their sales arm of the collection: SUPERBOOKS. “It is embarrassing now but we haven’t ever thought of a better one word descriptor. These are the books that have a huge reach and impact with a creative audience.”

“Being good at finding the best (and previously overlooked) books of the last fifty years or so has given us a step up into publishing,” the couple says. IDEA now publishes its own books, “Some of the people we sell books to become the artists we publish.” 

Interestingly, Hill and Owen say that they are “not so desperately devoted to books as such,” rather, for the period they respond to most – the ‘70s to 2000s – was books were the best way to record visual creativity. “As a result, to want to find and share that creativity (and make a living), you almost have to become a book dealer.”

The industry has changed and book dealing is not what it was before the internet. “You used to be able to go to a second hand bookshop and find wonderful things. Then the internet came along and everyone listed their books and everyone else bought them. If someone wanted all the classic Irving Penn or Richard Avedon, they could just click and buy them,” say the duo. “The result of that mass purchasing is that, on a daily basis, the only books in a bookshop that are not being packed up to be shipped, are either titles no one wants or great books that are wildly overpriced.” 

In a wildly too-convenient technological era, decades-old dealers such as IDEA and High Valley are a breath of fresh air and perhaps a hark back to the ‘good ‘ol days’ of print. It’s a feeling many creative youth crave today, which is why Isabella Burley’s Climax Books finds itself at home in Soho, London – it has quickly become a true favourite among the fashion industry’s bright minds and rising photographers.

Burley, the former editor-in-chief of Dazed magazine and current chief marketing officer for Acne Studios, began ideating Climax during the pandemic, and the London store opened in 2020. In September 2024, she opened the New York storefront. “I’ve always been obsessively collecting books and ephemera, since I was a teenager,” Burley tells me. “I knew I wanted to bring together my background in fashion and publishing to present a new vision of a bookstore.”

Burley certainly represents an unorthodox, sometimes sexy approach to selling books on sub and counterculture, providing latex shopping bags and hosting collaborations in-store with designers from Chopova Lowena to Marc Jacobs Heaven.

The rare books Burley sources are “confrontational, tasteful and of cultural significance,” a fitting description also for Climax’s recent publications: Pissing Women by Sophy Rickett, for example, is an archival project featuring photographs of women dressed in officewear urinating on the streets of London. Its next publication will be Queer Dyke Cruising, an ‘80s archive by Del LaGrace Volcano shot at Hampstead Heath, London. 

Burley feels that sourcing books is “never difficult,” but it is “an exciting challenge! I love the hunt,” she says. 

Below, IDEA, Climax Books and High Valley Books share their favourite photo books from their collections:

IDEA

Ask The Angels by Donna Santisi – “Published in 1978. It is practically handmade – surely assembled by hand. It is the cheap plastic binding that actually cuts through the pictures that makes it work wonders for us.” 

Lady’s – “There are a lot of Japanese motorcycle gang books and all of them focus on the male members of the Bōsōzoku. Not this one. And the women are even more fierce!”

Skinhead Girl by Alan Mead – “All the photographs were submitted by skinhead girls. And they did this way before camera phones, hence the cover being entirely composed of photobooth pictures.”

High School USA by Jim Richardson – “Jim Richardson’s photographic survey of American high schools somehow avoided being labelled or lauded as a photobook. But it is incredibly good so we are championing it.”

The Bangy Book by Vincent Alan W – “This one has a great story. The photographer Vincent Alan W was clearly obsessed with the street fashions of these Bangy boys but (we are only guessing) could only find a publisher in Vis A Vis who seem to have exclusively produced gay erotica. So seemingly in a compromise, the photographer returned to New York, booked a studio, and in every 10 or so photos, his subjects drop their shorts. A very surprising fashion book!”

Cathy by John Carder Bush – “John Carder Bush’s book of photographs of his sister, Kate Bush. The pictures capture her in girlhood to, possibly, early teens. These are quite remarkably prescient pictures.

High Valley Books

Animals in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge 

“An interesting, historical work by a complicated character.”

Fresh Fruits Postcard Box

“Relentlessly cheerful.”

Souvenirs Improbables by Sarah Moon

“Mysterious, moody.”

Executive Model by Ron Jude

“Fashion and art combined”

The New Color Photography by Sally Eauclair

“The beauty of film colour, as explored by many photographers before digital.”

Climax Books

Photographs by J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere

PICTURES, 2014–2024 by Martine Syms

Offstage by Dana Lixenberg

Girls Blue by Hiromix

@idea.ltd

@climaxbooks 

@highvalleybooks

“I’m good at what I do, but I feel very unmotivated. So going into the masterclass was great because they pushed me out of my comfort zone”

Reflecting on his evolution as a photographer, Khaled noted a shift from capturing street beauty to documenting human suffering: “I often say that if a photograph cannot influence or change the world, it holds no value. Photography must serve as a catalyst for change, a testament to human suffering, and a call to action for justice.”

Khaled’s participation in the Joop Swart Masterclass provided a rare opportunity for him to connect with photographers from around the world, as Gaza remains isolated. He shared the unique challenges faced by Palestinian photojournalists, who often work under extreme conditions and adapt to losing equipment or spaces to work. “Through photography,” says Khaled, “I hope to leave a legacy of truth and resilience, a testament that even in the face of darkness, there is light to be shared.” 

Lebanese photographer Myriam Boulos’s work delves into personal and collective experiences of resistance, intimacy, and societal transformation. Her early photography focused on nightlife, which she likens to revolutions – a space where people externalise suppressed emotions. During Lebanon’s 2019 revolution, Boulos’s work became collaborative, reflecting collective struggles. 

After the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020, she documented its aftermath, providing a platform for personal stories that challenge conventional portrayals of the region. “For me it felt like collectively coming out of an abusive relationship to finally say, ‘No, this is not normal’. This is when my work became more collaborative,” Boulos tells me. “I realised that by telling my own story, I was inevitably documenting the stories of other people.”

Boulos’s current projects further push boundaries. One explores women’s Sexual Fantasies through collaboration, challenging the media’s narrow and often reductive representations of Middle Eastern women. She initiated the project by sharing a call out asking, “If you are a woman or you have been socialised as a woman, and you want to share your sexual fantasies, send me an e-mail.” Boulos started the project to focus on the desires of her people and “to challenge western media’s representation of the region which normalises our pain and portrays our resistance as terrorism,” she continues. “Ironically enough I haven’t been able to focus properly on the sexual fantasies project this year because of Israel’s aggressions on Lebanon.”

Simultaneously, she documents autism in the context of war, bridging her longstanding interest in neurodivergence with the ongoing crises in Lebanon. For Boulos, the Joop Swart Masterclass was a chance to pause and focus, gaining insights from mentors and peers. Her work continually questions the ethics of photography, balancing meticulous care with creative liberation. “It is very easy to take visually strong images when we feel entitled and think the world is ours to piss on,” she explains. “It takes much more time to create images that are aligned with our ethics, but it is worth it! I go from walking on egg shells (which I think is necessary) to letting go and having fun visually. It is a slow process but so am I.”

Kiana Hayeri, an Iranian-Canadian photographer, brings a nuanced lens to the lives of Afghan women and the global challenges surrounding education. While she initially felt overqualified for the Joop Swart Masterclass, Hayeri embraced the opportunity to reconnect with her craft, “I am very lost and I am unchallenged,” she tells me. “I’m good at what I do, but I feel very unmotivated. So going into the masterclass was great because they pushed me out of my comfort zone.” She walked away from the masterclass feeling “intellectually intrigued, and that has been the biggest value for me,” she continues. 

Hayeri’s recent work stands as a counter-narrative to clichéd depictions of Afghan women. “I refuse to photograph Afghan women with a burqa in the cliche way,” she tells me. In her award-winning series No Woman’s Land, she avoids stereotypical images of women in burqas, instead portraying them as they live: dancing at parties, laughing with friends, and striving for normalcy amidst oppression. No Woman’s Land was produced with support from the Carmignac Prize in September 2024. 

As a photographer, she believes her work has lost the innocence it once had due to an “optimisation” that comes with an excellence in professional photography. “You would go to places and hang out all day long to make the photo you need,” she reminisces of her early career. “Now, I know where to go to take the photo, when is the best time to go and shoot, but that also means I spend less time in the space that I want to.”

Her current focus examines the global assault on education, from Taliban-imposed bans to subtler forms of exclusion in countries like Canada, India, and Bosnia. By highlighting these interconnected struggles, Hayeri’s photography critiques systems of segregation and inequality, weaving localised experiences into a global narrative.

The Joop Swart Masterclass took place in Amsterdam from 27 October to 2 November, inviting 12 photographers from all around the world to develop a project, and develop the tools to make a viable career in photography.

@myriamboulos

@belalkh2

@kianahayeri