Circulation(s), Europe’s premier festival dedicated to showcasing new photographic talent, is returning for 2026. And whether you’re a young photographer seeking international exposure and professional development opportunities, or an older hand seeking inspiration and new perspectives from the next generation, it promises to be a must-see.
Since its founding in 2011, Circulation(s) has established itself as a crucial platform for photographers in the early stages of their careers. The festival’s distinctive approach comes from its management by the Fetart collective, a group of seven independent curators specializing in emerging photography who bring diverse sensibilities to the selection process.
Running from March 21 to May 17 at Centquatre-Paris – a large multipurpose art space in the city’s 19th arrondissement – the festival will present work from 26 artists representing 15 different nationalities.
For 2026, the artistic direction welcomes three new members – Caroline Benichou, Ioana Mello and Lucille Vivier-Calicat – joining established curators Carine Dolek, Laetitia Guillemin, Marie Guillemin and Emmanuelle Halkin.
Diverse inspirations
The selected works demonstrate the breadth of contemporary photographic practice. Czech artist Alžběta Drcmánková combines digital photography with seed bead embroidery, in a meditation on memory and fragmentation.
Belgian photographer Marcel Top tackles surveillance technology through his series Poison Data, Kill Algorithms, deliberately corrupting facial recognition datasets as an act of resistance against mass surveillance.
Documentary approaches feature prominently, with Italian photographer Davide Degano exploring the suppression of Slovenian heritage in his grandmother’s home region, and French artist Manon Tagand investigating her family’s colonial past in Cameroon through salvaged photographs and film reels.
Polish photographer Joanna Szproch, meanwhile, has spent over a decade building a complex visual universe that challenges Catholic norms through photographic performances with her daughter.
Experimental techniques push boundaries throughout the exhibition. Slovak artist Nina Pacherová uses in-videogame photography and digital weaving to examine social conditioning, while Brazilian photographer Ricardo Tokugawa creates meticulously constructed images questioning tradition and identity.
Ukrainian artist Olia Koval’s installation Eruption features 40,000 handcrafted red-winged bugs invading a living room, metaphorically representing Russian occupation.
Four Irish photographers will present work exploring themes of identity, community and transformation. Belfast-based Ellen Blair’s Homemade Undercuts celebrates hair as a canvas for queer kinship and self-expression. Clodagh O’Leary documents children and youth in republican areas of County Derry, examining how historical conflict continues to affect new generations.
Elsewhere, Donal Talbot’s Becoming explores queer identity through nature, while Ruby Wallis’s Bloodroot & Foxglove uses cameraless processes including anthotypes and lumen-prints created during walks with people seeking asylum in Ireland’s oldest cultivated gardens.
Professional opportunities
Beyond the exhibitions, Circulation(s) offers practical support for career development. The festival’s professional weekend brings together photographers and industry experts for portfolio reviews, with individualized sessions providing direct feedback on work.
Meanwhile a number of masterclasses cover essential topics including publishing, scenography and photographic printing, while festival partners offer technical and legal advice.
Visitors can vote for the Public Prize, awarded to their favorite photographer from the exhibition; a recognition that can significantly boost an emerging artist’s profile.
The festival also features photo studios where professionals offer portrait sessions to the public, providing both income opportunities for artists and demystifying professional photography practices.
In short, for anyone watching contemporary trends or seeking inspiration from peers working at the cutting edge of the medium, Circulation(s) offers a concentrated view of where European photography is heading in 2026.
Author: Tom May
Source: DigitalCameraWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
