Rotterdam Photo 2026 returns to Deliplein at the end of March

Rotterdam Photo is an internationaal fotografie festival that takes place during Rotterdam Art Week. From 25 to 29 March, Rotterdam Photo returns to Deliplein. Together with Unseen in Ahoy and the Photobookmarket in the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the festival forms an urban photography hub, positioning Rotterdam as a focal point for contemporary photography during the art week.

This year's edition is themed Echoes of Silence - War in the Artist's Soul and brings together artists from around the world to reflect on how conflict, tension and trauma resonate in the inner lives of individuals.

With Echoes of Silence, Rotterdam Photo 2026 explores how war, tension and both collective and intimate trauma resonate in photographic practices that turn inwards. At a time when images of crisis circulate endlessly through media and screens, the festival calls for a different approach: introspective, subjective and visually layered perspectives. Itbrings forward autonomous photographic work that starts from personal resonance, psychological processing and symbolic representation.

Rotterdam Photo 2026 presents four invited artists whose work resonates strongly with the festival theme. These are Caroline Monnet, Diego Moreno, Hashim Nasr and Otto Snoek, a Rotterdam-based documentary photographer known for his radical aesthetics and slow journalism approach, capturing dense, layered scenes that reflect the contradictions and social dynamics of contemporary Western society.

Talents

Besides the invited artists, Rotterdam Photo 2026 brings together the work of more than 30 international photographers, selected through an international open call. The recipients of the Rotterdam Photo 2026 Amarte Dutch Talent Project grants will also be there: Sveta Kaverina, Malek Bigum, Roger Anis and Andrea Bonderup. Each artist will receive a €3,000 stipend to further develop their ongoing projects into work-in-progress exhibitions. Under the guidance of curator Mira Matić, they will present a composite group exhibition during Rotterdam Photo 2026. This project is realised in cooperation with the Amarte Fund.

Programme

In addition to the exhibitions, the festival offers an extensive public programme with Photo Talks, panel discussions, a live music programme and on-site activities. Visitors are invited to meet artists, engage in conversation and experience photography in the open and informal atmosphere of the container village on Deli Square - which welcomes professionals, enthusiasts and first-time visitors alike.