The 11th PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai
PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai at Exhibition Center
May 7, 2026
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May 10, 2026
Since its founding in 2014, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai has successfully held ten editions, gradually becoming a significant meeting point connecting Asia with the global photography ecosystem. . In 2025, the 10th edition welcomed galleries and artists from Paris, Milan, Genoa, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Kyoto, and various cities across China, presenting an international event combining academic depth and market vitality. Concurrently, Meta Media launched the inaugural Shanghai International Contemporary Photo Festival (SICPF) as a prelude to the fair, collaborating with nearly 20 art institutions and urban cultural landmarks to expand interactions between photographic art and public urban culture through exhibitions, screenings, forums, and cross-disciplinary projects, establishing itself as a key annual cultural event in the city.
Building on this foundation, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai 2026 will present diverse exhibition lineup, reflecting the richness of the global photography. Over 45 galleries and institutions from cities including Paris, Düsseldorf, Kyoto, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Hangzhou will gather at the fair from May 7 to 10. Participating exhibitors include established galleries such as ShanghART Gallery, PERROTIN, Galleria Continua, Three Shadows+3 Gallery, Matthew Liu Fine Arts; leading cultural institutions like DECK Photography Art Centre and Maison Européenne de la Photographie; as well as emerging galleries and art spaces including ThisThat Gallery, Project Wútopia, Photism Collective Space, and HART Gallery. Together, they will create a dynamic landscape where contemporary experimentation and photographic tradition meet in productive dialogue.
Curatorially, the 11th edition will further deepen the fair’s academic and critical scope. Curated by Valeria Liebermann, the “INSIGHTS” section will mark the 50th anniversary of the Düsseldorf School of Photography, tracing the legacy of this influential photographic tradition and its resonance in contemporary Chinese practice. Featured artists include pioneers Bernd and Hilla Becher, Candida Höfer, and Thomas Ruff, alongside emerging voices such as Hedda Roman and Anna Vogel.
The new section PERFORMANCE will explore the intersection of photography and performance art, using the camera as a medium for embodied storytelling and reconsidering the shifting relationship between seeing and being seen. Returning in 2026, the “PERSPECTIVE” section will bring together photographic installations and other artistic media to explore themes such as female perspectives, ecological consciousness, and AI and algorithmic culture, opening up new readings of photography within contemporary discourse.
Extending beyond the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the fair will further deepen the relationship between photography and the city. In collaboration with NOWNESS, the special section CINEMAwill link multiple cultural venues across Shanghai, screening curated films, videos, and experimental image-based works. Through multi-screen formats and immersive viewing experiences, photography will move beyond the exhibition hall and into the city’s cultural fabric, creating a layered visual journey through light, shadow, and urban imagination.
The annual Expert Committee consists of prominent scholars, curators, and representatives from photography art institutions, including Clothilde Morette, Gwen Lee, He Yining, Hyunjung Son, Rong Rong, Shi Hantao, and Scott Gray. The committee facilitates discovery of photographic art values through regular curation, seminars, and site visits while exploring future development trends. The Collector Committee, composed of senior photography art collectors, aims to build an open platform for collecting. Members include Cao Jixiang, Che Xuanqiao, Jin Hongwei, Jiao Jingjia, and Shao Zhong, sharing expertise through collection appreciation, dialogues, and institutional visits to enhance professionalism and sustainability in the collecting ecosystem.
The second SICPF will continue to bring together high-quality domestic and international art resources across four city districts—Xuhui Wutong Street, Jing’an Nanjing West Road, Suhewan at the Bund, and Huangpu Xintiandi—linking multiple city landmarks, art institutions, and cultural spaces. Featuring six curated sections and more than 20 distinctive photography or art projects, the festival uses photography as a borderless language to reflect Shanghai’s vibrant multicultural landscape, offering an international visual experience shaped by art, culture, and urban life.
In today’s era of evolving digital technology and visual culture, photography has become a vital medium for understanding contemporary society and individual experience. PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai remains committed to introducing international artists and forward-looking practices, while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue across image, technology, and society, further strengthening Shanghai’s position as a global cultural hub.
From May 7 to 10, 2026, the 11th PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai will once again bring together a global audience at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, exploring the boundless possibilities of photographic art within contemporary cultural contexts.
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