There were nearly 100,000 submissions to be part of the central exhibition at this year’s PhotoVogue Festival. Titled Women by Women, it highlights 45 artists, photographers and video makers who “explore what it means to see as women, examining the many forms, perspectives and lived realities that womanhood can encompass.” The sheer popularity of its open call underscores this statement. The event returns to Milan for its 10th anniversary in March (during the city’s fashion week), where it positions itself as a forward-looking platform. “At a time when women’s rights and identities are increasingly contested, this edition of PhotoVogue Festival affirms women’s vision as a powerful force in its own right, plural, dynamic, and free to shape its own narrative,” says Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Festival Director. Notably, it will be moving beyond traditional “binary frameworks”, like the male or female gaze, instead embracing “fluid, intersectional and self-determined ways of seeing.”
Each contributor approaches the theme from a distinct vantage point, from Rhiannon Adam’s reflections on a cancelled space mission (of which she was due to be the only female crew member), to Delali Ayivi’s celebrations of Togolese creativity. Other featured artists include Vera van Dam, whose series Dahlia focuses on the relationship between cars and the female body. She pairs images of skin, faces and hands with high-contrast, abstract shots of vehicles – zeroing in on glass, metal and fabric. Another angle comes from Francesca Allen, in Plaukai. “Once a year, hundreds of women with thousands of feet of hair flood into a Lithuanian arena for the World’s Longest Hair competition – a folkloric beauty pageant where obsession, tradition and identity converge.” Allen travelled to the event – known locally as Konkursas Pasaulio Ilgaplaukės – with a Lithuanian friend to document some of the nearly 200 participants.
Also on the agenda is the East and South East Asian Panorama, which brings together 40 names from across the region. Amongst them is Taiwan-based Zhang Ahuei, who is known for her deeply symbolic portraiture and surrealist-inspired fashion imagery. Where the Dream Rests depicts a figure sleeping on the surface of the water, illuminated by a delicate orb. Dreaming is, likewise, a fundamental theme in Japan-born Keigo Wezel’s Sleepwalking. The project takes audiences on a journey through a state somewhere between waking and slumber. This thread continues with Li Guo’s Garden Reverie, which reimagines traditional Chinese aesthetics through a modern lens – exploring dialogues between heritage and innovation.
Audiences can also attend Futurespective, an exhibition in collaboration with Vogue Ukraine. It shines a spotlight on emerging Ukrainian artists, who are examining the experience of adolescence in wartime from different angles. It “unfolds as a slideshow tracing the fragile coexistence of daily life and conflict, where intimacy, resilience, memory and identity emerge.” Amongst the line-up is Tania Shcheglova, who presents a long-term portrait series dedicated to revealing the “inner landscapes” of creative people. Futurespective sits in close dialogue with You Don’t Think It Will Happen to You, a film by Paolina Stefani, which follows a profound friendship formed on Ukraine’s frontline between photographer Anastasia and translator Alisa.
Other highlights include Compañerx (2023–2024) by Camila Fálquez, a multidisciplinary project supporting Colombia’s Ley Integral Trans – legislation aimed at protecting and guaranteeing human rights for transgender and non-binary individuals – through portraits of over 70 people across the country. There’s also Pleasure & Disobedience, put together by Sofia Kouloukouri and Alexios Seilopoulos, which foregrounds female and queer directors who explore intimacy, desire, self-representation and resistance. It’s a must-see, including stand-out contributions from American photographer and activist Nan Goldin.
Running alongside the displays is a compelling programme of talks and panels. Conversations with the exhibiting artists, as well as leading figures such as visual activist Zanele Muholi, will address a wide range of topics – from ecofeminism and motherhood to sex work and war. Together, these discussions underscore photography’s power to open vital dialogues around urgent contemporary questions. Women by Women is an expansive and inclusive programme that not only celebrates a decade of PhotoVogue, but also looks ahead – reaffirming the camera as a tool for reclaiming narrative, visibility and agency.
PhotoVogue Festival: Women by Women is at Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Milan, from 1-4 March 2026.
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. Zhang Ahuei, Where the Dream Rests.
2. Li Guo, Garden Reverie.
3. Tania Shcheglova, Innerland.
4. Francesca Allen, Plaukai.
5. Keigo Wezel, Sleepwalking.
6. Vera van Dam, Dahlia.
