Photoville 2025: Puppies, Trans History, and Sweetgrass
The 15th annual Photoville festival in New York features over 90 photographic exhibits, including moving images from a maximum-security prison, a look at trans lives in the 1990s, and documentation of sweetgrass traditions. Co-founder Sam Barzilay highlights the whimsical 'Old Apples' exhibit alongside hard-hitting reportage on wildfires, water access, and ICE. 'Puppies Behind Bars' by Ashley Gilbertson and Ava Pellor documents incarcerated men raising service dogs at Green Haven prison. 'Special Girls' showcases Remsen Wolff's 1990s photos of trans women, curated by archivist Jochem Brouwer. 'Point of View' pairs Dutch student self-portraits with Rijksmuseum art. Whitney Snow's 'The Women's Grass' explores Blackfeet sweetgrass knowledge. Lexi Parra's 'The Avillas' follows a family after matriarch self-deports. The festival runs May 16-30 at Brooklyn Bridge Park and other locations.
Key facts
- Photoville is in its 15th year with over 90 exhibits
- Festival co-founder is Sam Barzilay
- Exhibits include 'Old Apples', 'Puppies Behind Bars', 'Special Girls', 'Point of View', 'The Avillas', and 'The Women's Grass'
- 'Puppies Behind Bars' documents men at Green Haven maximum security prison raising service dogs
- Photographers for 'Puppies Behind Bars' are Ashley Gilbertson and Ava Pellor
- Organization founder Gloria Gilbert Stoga requested a war photographer for the prison project
- 'Special Girls' features Remsen Wolff's 1990s photos of trans women and gender nonconforming individuals
- Archivist Jochem Brouwer curated 'Special Girls' and promised Wolff to share his work
- 'Point of View' pairs self-portraits of Dutch college students with Rijksmuseum art pieces
- 'The Women's Grass' by Whitney Snow documents Blackfeet sweetgrass traditions
- Snow consulted tribal elders to avoid exploitation
- 'The Avillas' by Lexi Parra documents a family after matriarch self-deports due to Trump administration threats
- Photoville runs from May 16-30 at Brooklyn Bridge Park and other New York locations
Entities
Artists
- Sam Barzilay
- Ashley Gilbertson
- Ava Pellor
- Remsen Wolff
- Jochem Brouwer
- Whitney Snow
- Lexi Parra
- Gloria Gilbert Stoga
Institutions
- Photoville
- Green Haven
- Rijksmuseum
- Blackfeet Nation
Locations
- New York
- Brooklyn Bridge Park
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- United States
- Balkans