About us
Created in 2016 at the initiative of Hangar, PhotoBrussels Festival aims to bring together all enthusiasts, actors and professionals of contemporary photography for a month. It is an event that establishes Brussels as an essential player in the international photographic scene and is part of the European Month of Photography (EMOP), a network of photography festivals present in various European cities, including Berlin, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Paris, Vienna, and Brussels. PhotoBrussels Festival attracts a local audience (Brussels-Capital Region), Belgian and international visitors (neighboring countries), as well as photography professionals, collectors and art gallery and cultural center amateurs.
The festival stands out by focusing on contemporary photography and highlighting both emerging and established artists. It showcases the work of Belgian and international photographers, offering a multicultural perspective and a rich and exciting program for all audiences. Over the course of one month, the festival serves as a platform for the exchange and confrontation of ideas. A wide-ranging program of exhibitions, workshops, conferences and guided tours takes place throughout the program, making it a must-attend event for photography enthusiasts.
By not limiting itself to a single exhibition venue, PhotoBrussels Festival allows visitors to discover different aspects of the city of Brussels while exploring photography. This provides a valuable opportunity for visitors and art enthusiasts from all around the world.
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On the occasion of the 10th anniversary: celebrating the Belgian scene!
This tenth edition of the PhotoBrussels Festival marks an important milestone in the history of a project born from a simple conviction: in Belgium, photography deserves a central place within the contemporary cultural landscape. Since its inception, the festival has been committed to supporting artistic creation, revealing emerging talents, and highlighting the richness of a particularly dynamic Belgian photographic scene that remains open to the world.
Ten years later, PhotoBrussels has established itself as a major event in European photography, gathering a wide audience each year around a demanding, diverse, and socially engaged programme. Through exhibitions, encounters, and collaborations with institutions, galleries, and art schools, the festival has helped shape a genuine photographic ecosystem in Brussels — a city that now stands as an essential cultural hub for contemporary image-making.
For this anniversary edition, 52 exhibitions are presented across the city, bringing together more than 100 artists — more than half of them Belgian, and three quarters residing in Belgium. This exceptional presence reflects the vitality of the Belgian photographic scene and the diversity of its participants. The exhibitions unfold across a wide range of venues — museums, galleries, art centres, alternative spaces, and public places — mirroring the richness and diversity of Brussels today: a creative, inclusive, and ever-evolving capital.
The festival also pays special attention to the new generation of photographers, whose freedom of vision and aesthetic boldness fuel the renewal of the medium. These young talents, alongside established artists, present resolutely contemporary projects that engage directly with the pressing issues of our time: social transformations, environmental urgencies, and questions of connection, identity, and intimacy.
Through this multiplicity of approaches, the PhotoBrussels Festival stands as a witness to a living, engaged, and plural photography — one that questions our perceptions and sparks dialogue between cultures and generations.
Ten years after its creation, the festival continues to assert its mission: to offer an open, unifying, and ambitious platform in service of artists and the public gaze.
- Delphine Dumont