Get ready to snap up the sights, sounds, and sensations of Spain's premier photography festival, PhotoEspaña 2026! Kicking off in Madrid this month, this visual extravaganza promises to be a real showstopper, with its rich cultural programme running until September. The grand scale is on full display as over 300 top-notch visual artists converge for nearly 100 exhibitions across the capital and beyond.
A major highlight of the festival is an in-depth look at Mexican master Alejandro Cartagena's remarkable career at Fundación Mapfre. His work, which delves into the complexities of the US-Mexico border, is a powerful commentary on the profound implications of physical barriers and cultural separation. With series like 'Invisible Line', 'Between Borders', and 'Los Americanos', Cartagena's photographs strip bare the potent symbolism of the border wall, reducing people to a generic 'no one'.
Elsewhere, the Museo del Romanticismo hosts an intimate presentation by Laia Abril, featuring seven life-size portraits that capture the debilitating effects of endometriosis. Abril's subjects – six women and a trans man – are frozen in time, adopting postures they use to manage their pain. The elevated perspective and triptych format of these photographs convey the out-of-body experiences often associated with intense pain.
The Fernán Gómez centre is home to 'Lux and Umbra', a retrospective of Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen's eclectic and restless style, shaped by her childhood in Kenya, interest in fashion design, and deep appreciation for art history. Her visual language defies easy categorisation, often returning to ambiguous themes of death, sexuality, and mourning – the concept of 'umbra' (shadow) manifesting in various abstract and representational forms.
Finally, Polish photographer Rafal Milach presents a striking exhibition at Circulo de Bellas Artes, focusing on the disruptive potential of engaged documentary photography. Milach aims to revitalise protest photography by making it more accessible to new audiences. His work, alongside others, addresses social and political tensions in Poland and Eastern Europe through platforms like the 'Archive of Public Protests', utilising banners, murals, and free newspapers to foster solidarity and encourage opposition.
The 'Reimagining' theme is further explored in a diverse group show featuring 13 accomplished projects. These photographers demonstrate varied approaches to their subjects and the medium itself, offering a critical perspective on modern road life (Txema Salvans' 'Wreckage of a Catastrophe' series) or tackling social and environmental issues through the lens of landscape photography.