Photoworks Festival 2026 Returns to Brighton & Hove with Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams
The upcoming Photoworks Festival, the first since 2018, is set to take place in Brighton & Hove from 02 October to 01 November 2026, under the theme Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams. Formerly known as Brighton Photo Biennial, the festival was revamped during the pandemic. This edition will be led by director Louise Fedotov-Clements. Kicking off with an opening weekend from 02 to 04 October, the event will feature an international conference and various exhibitions. Highlighting environmental issues, the festival will showcase works by artists including Aindreas Scholz, Sam Kaufman, and Holly Birtles. Additionally, Fast Forward: Women in Photography will present 52 female artists, while the newly launched POST will serve as a lens-based art space. Fedotov-Clements seeks to promote intercultural dialogue and stimulate thought-provoking discussions.
Key facts
- Photoworks Festival 2026 runs 02 October–01 November 2026 in Brighton & Hove.
- It is the first full Photoworks Festival since 2018; the event was a 'festival in a box' during the pandemic and in 2022.
- The 2026 theme is Un/Stable: Lands, Anxieties, Dreams.
- Louise Fedotov-Clements is the current director; she founded Derby's FORMAT Festival.
- The opening weekend is 02–04 October and includes an international conference.
- The 2026 Photoworks Annual, Cosmophotographies, launches at the festival.
- Venues include Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Regency Town House, Gallery Lock, Dorset Place Gallery, Hove Museum of Creativity, Jubilee Library, and Phoenix Art Space.
- Brighton Photo Fringe is now led by curator Ricardo Reverón Blanco; POST, a new lens-based art space, was founded by Nina Emett and Simon Roberts.
Entities
Artists
- Rebecca Solnit
- Louise Fedotov-Clements
- Aindreas Scholz
- Sam Kaufman
- Holly Birtles
- Daniele Cimaglia
- Giuseppe Odore
- Tsz Wai Pun
- Coşkun Güçlü
- Jermaine Francis
- Deborah Ireland
- Alma Haser
- Eva Louisa Jonas
- Kairo Urovi
- Ricardo Reverón Blanco
- Nina Emett
- Simon Roberts
- Johanna Alarcón
- Dasha Tenditna
- Debmalya Ray Choudhuri
- Sarker Protick
- Eugenie Shinkle
- Ayobami Ogungbe
- Hugh Fox
- Emily June Smith
- Halfdan Hallseth
- Gil Mualem Doron
Institutions
- Photoworks
- Brighton Photo Biennial
- FORMAT Festival
- University of Brighton
- Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
- Regency Town House
- Gallery Lock
- Dorset Place Gallery
- Royal Geographical Society Archive
- Hove Museum of Creativity
- Thames & Hudson
- Jubilee Library
- Queer Grounds
- Phoenix Art Space
- Brighton Photo Fringe
- POST
- Fast Forward: Women in Photography
- 1854 Photography
- Photo Fringe
- Chennai Photo Biennale
- International Photography Festivals Association (IPFA)
- AMUPAKIN
- Partera di Anaku
Locations
- Brighton
- Hove
- United Kingdom
- Derby
- Latera
- Italy
- Hong Kong
- West Sussex
- India
- Ukraine
- Ecuador
- Amazon
- Andes
- America
- Chennai
- Bangladesh
- Bengal
- Badagry
- Nigeria
- Sri Lanka
- Chernobyl
- Brighton & Hove