The 35th edition of Encontros da Imagem kicks off today in Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Avintes, Barcelos and Vila Verde

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DATE

18 Sep 2025

AUTHOR

Umbigo

The 35th edition of Encontros da Imagem kicks off today in Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Avintes, Barcelos and Vila Verde

AUTHOR

Umbigo

Encontros da Imagem - International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts returns from 18 September to 2 November 2025, with the participation of 377 artists and 39 venues hosting the programme.

Developed under the artistic direction of Vítor Nieves, this edition maintains photography as the central axis of the festival, but also expands to other contemporary languages, integrating cinema, performance, installation, and video art into an extensive programme that includes exhibitions by national and international artists, awards, artistic residencies, and parallel activities within the scope of educational services.

Based on the theme ‘Manifestação de Interesse’ (Expression of Interest) - which reflects the intention not only to consolidate the festival's legacy, but also to take a critical look at its history - the 35th edition of the festival proposes three main curatorial themes: Argumentários, Dissidências and Transições.

Argumentários delves into the history of the festival, which, since 1987, has established itself as an essential reference in photography in Portugal and beyond. Of particular note in this section is the exhibition 40 anos de festivais. Uma possível história da fotografia luso-galaica, which revisits three landmark events - Outono Fotográfico, Fotobienal de Vigo and Encontros da Imagem - highlighting the cross-border collaborations that have shaped the Iberian photographic landscape.

The Dissidências section presents an inclusive reading of photography, ranging from historical approaches to emerging practices, highlighting artists who challenge conventions, investigate, and instigate new narratives, devices and media. This section proposes unlikely dialogues between different generations and practices, pointing the way to a new awareness of the image in the contemporary world. Among the artists featured are Helena Almeida, Inês Moura, Bruno Silva, Eunice Pais, José Crúzio, Vari Caramés, Patrícia Almeida and J.G. Ballard, among others.

Transições, in turn, focuses on the regional identities that influence and are influenced by the festival, celebrating Minho - the region where the festival is organised - and the new emerging ruralities. Two exhibitions stand out: A emigração portuguesa a salto, curated by Daniel Bastos and photographs by Gérald Bloncourt, and Toda partida é potência na morte. O regresso, infância que soletra, which brings together five artists around the experience of migration, which is simultaneously traumatic, resilient and transformative.

The complete festival programme can be found here.

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