The 10th edition of the PhotoVogue Festival has just come to an end. The PhotoVogue Festival is a fundamental occasion to come together and make tangible all the work that PhotoVogue carries out throughout the year. It is an opportunity for artists and photography enthusiasts to meet, build a community, exchange opinions and ideas, and grow in their artistic practice.
For the first time, the Festival was hosted within the walls of the Biblioteca Braidense at the Accademia di Brera. A place that defines the city of Milan, rich in history and culture. Over four days, more than 13,000 visitors walked through its halls, visiting the exhibitions and participating in a rich program of talks. The two main exhibitions consisted of one featuring the work of 45 artists selected through the global open call themed Women by Women, which also gave its name to the entire festival, and another presenting 40 artists selected from the regional open call East and Southeast Asian Panorama.
In the exhibition Women by Women, the artists explored different manifestations of femininity in a collectsive narrative that ranges from female wrestlers in Mexico to the lives of nuns in a monastery, as well as the intimate story of a young woman’s transition journey. Closing a circle that began with the first Festival in 2016 dedicated to the female gaze, this edition sought to move beyond the dichotomous relationship between the female gaze and the male gaze, instead investigating the multiplicity of the feminine, free from oppositions and limitations.
The exhibition East and Southeast Asian Panorama offered a look at the region through personal projects, fashion photography, documentary narratives, and more intimate stories, presenting visitors with a multifaceted image of the region and challenging the Western narratives to which we are often accustomed.
This year, the festival also included works by organizations whose philosophies align with PhotoVogue and with this year’s theme: collectsives, magazines, platforms, and artists all contributed to a diverse narrative of the feminine universe. All by Myself, a slideshow of intimate images by Nan Goldin, stood out among these collaborations, an intimate, moving, and powerful story of the artist’s life from childhood to adulthood.
During the four days of the festival, several talks were held with participating artists, who had the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their projects. Among the panel guests were Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Paolina Stefani, and Alice Aedy, who discussed the project You Don't Think It Will Happen to You: A Deep Friendship Forged on Ukraine’s Frontline, as well as visual activist Zanele Muholi, who shared their essential perspective on photography as a form of everyday activism and an act of resistance.
During the Festival, two key moments reflected PhotoVogue’s philosophy of concretely supporting photographers in their artistic journeys. Kristina Podobed received a €5,000 grant from MPB, the world’s largest online platform for used photo and video equipment, to spend on used photography and video gear. On March 3, Pandora conferred a €20,000 grant to Delali Ayivi to support her artistic journey and continue her practice rooted in community and solidarity, where imagination becomes a space for growth and mutual support.
The PhotoVogue Festival was made possible thanks to its partners, who supported its vision.
Our Main Partner, AUDI, the premium Brand that combines sportiness, progressive design and sustainable mobility, continues its collaboration with Vogue Italia by confirming itself as the Main Partner of PhotoVogue Festival for the tenth consecutive year.
Our Event Partner, PANDORA, the world's largest jewellery brand, supports PhotoVogue with a long term cultural commitment to empower women’s creative vision as a way of shaping the future of visual culture.
Our Event Supporter, MPB, the world’s largest online platform for used photo and video equipment, supports PhotoVogue in championing the female gaze and celebrating an exceptional, globally diverse community of image-makers.
Finally, our greatest thanks go to our community of photographers and to all the people who support us with their vision, creativity, and imagination. In uncertain and dark times, the artists of PhotoVogue are able to create a space of solidarity, free from competition, where people can share advice, experiment, spend time together, grow, and foster dialogue, visual literacy, and a culture of listening and attention.
The PhotoVogue Festival 2026 was organized in collaboration with Pinacoteca di Brera and Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense and was held under the patronage of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
