As everyday life is increasingly experienced through digital mediation—whether it be a screen in our pockets, at our desks, or in public spaces—staying connected to essential and site-specific encounters has taken on added importance. The long-standing trend seems to be to make everything and anything virtual, with culture, the arts and especially photography sweeping in along the way.
New forms of digital technology have transformed the popular concept of what photography is and what it can do – from something made by artists and industry professionals to something everyone does every day. In the not-so-distant past, photographs taken for the purposes of journalism and the daily news cycle would have been presented to the public as documentary records of events. Although not without bias, the fact that they were taken in the time and place indicated by the caption was taken for granted and rarely challenged, allowing public discourse to take shape around what the photographs purported to show and the narrative persuasiveness conveyed in them. Now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence and the ease with which images can be designed to reflect any belief or agenda, the power of photography to regulate or stimulate discourse is actually beginning to erode.
Challenging the emergence of a new status quo, or a new common sense (or is it common doubt?) surrounding the effectiveness of photography, is more important than ever. Doing this socially, or as part of a community, seems to me more effective than doing so virtually, as another voice in an endless stream of online discourse. At FotoFocus, the opening of FotoFocus Centre, our new purpose-built space, allows us to bring people together under one roof to discuss photography and its impact on the world we live in. Building on our years of experience holding panel discussions, creating exhibitions, and planning events bringing together many of the world’s leading practitioners and thinkers in photography, we are now better suited than ever to address the changing circumstances of our time and emphasize the importance of experiencing art personally and doing so with a community that is local in its roots and global in spirit.
We recognize that the true value of art often lies in its ability to bring people together in productive dialogue, something that seems more urgent than ever when viewed in light of the increasing fragmentation of social life. In 2019, FotoFocus hosted its annual Auto Refresh symposium, which looked at the impact of technology on photography. Beginning with Fred Richen’s reflection on the continuing relevance of his 1990 publication, In Our Own Image: The Next Revolution in Photographythe series of talks highlighted the new possibilities—both positive and ominous—that technology may bring to image making. The conversations were enhanced by a captivating and sobering keynote from Trevor Paglin, who, due to the nature of his work, did not allow this lecture to be documented, making it an exchange of ideas contained in that room and this audience.
Through a partnership with CreativeTime in 2023, FotoFocus hosted “The Convening,” a series of conversations focused on histories and memories as complementary interpretations of place and home that are made stronger by the shared community that has come together. No recording can—although we try—speak to the physical experience of an enveloping vocal performance by Guillermo Galindo, who used “sonic cyber totemic healing objects”—found objects left by migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border—to compose Sound Bath. By visiting a place and experiencing unique encounters, creative ideas and collaboration flourish. When FotoFocus invited Southwest artist and muralist Chip Thomas (aka jetsonorama) to present a solo exhibition during the 2024 Biennial, Thomas was struck by the rich history of murals within Cincinnati. The resulting mural commissioned by Thomas in conjunction with the exhibition honored a local West End muralist: a project that would not have happened without Thomas’ visits to the area to experience the depth of Cincinnati’s arts culture where his work resonated.
Looking ahead to this fall, with the launch of the eighth edition of the Biennale in October, our investment in the physical space will redefine our engagement with the region during this ambitious mission. At FotoFocus, we can establish the biennial in a specific location while expanding the network of partner venues throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. The largest of its kind in North America, this distinction is achieved through the biennial’s unique structure that consists not of local, site-specific commissions, but rather as a regional convocation of organizations bringing photography and lens-based art from around the world. This discursive approach opens our programs outward to the broader community of which we are a part and with which we strive to engage throughout each year.
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