As everyday life is increasingly experienced through digital mediation—whether it’s a screen in our pocket, on our desk, or in public spaces—being connected to primary and location-specific encounters has taken on increased importance. The trend for so long seems to have been to make everything and anything virtual, with culture, art and especially photography spreading along the way.
New forms of digital technology have transformed the common 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 too distant past, photographs taken for journalistic purposes and the daily news cycle could be presented to the public as documentary records of events. Although not without prejudice, their fact in the time and place that an inscription depicted was taken for granted and rarely challenged, thus allowing public discourse to be shaped around what the images purported to show and the narrative conviction they carried. Now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence and the ease with which images can be adapted to reflect any belief or agenda, the power of photography to organize or stimulate discourse has really begun to erode.
Challenging the emergence of a new status quo, a new common sense (or is it common suspicion?) surrounding the efficacy of photography is more important than ever. Doing this socially, or as part of a community, I find to be more effective than making this effort virtually, as one more voice in the infinite pool of online discourse. At FotoFocus, the opening of the FotoFocus Center, 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. Drawing on our years of experience in convening panels, creating exhibitions and planning events that bring together many of the leading practitioners and thinkers from the world of photography, we are now better suited than ever to engage with the changing conditions of our time and affirm the importance of experiencing art in person and doing so with a community that is local in its roots and international 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 as urgent as it has ever been when considered in light of the increasing atomization of social life. In 2019, FotoFocus hosted its annual symposium under the theme Auto Update, addressing the impact of technology on photography. Starting with Fred Ritchin reflecting on the continuing relevance of his 1990 publication, In Our Image: The Next Revolution in Photographythe series of talks brought into focus the new possibilities – positive and ominous – that technology can bring to image making. The talks were enhanced by a fascinating and insightful keynote speech by Trevor Paglenwho, due to the nature of his work, did not allow this lecture to be documented, thus making it a contained exchange of ideas with that hall and that auditorium.
Through a partnership with CreativeTime in 2023, FotoFocus hosted The Convening, a series of talks focused on history and memories as integral interpretations of place and home that were strengthened by the shared community that came together. No recording—though we tried—can speak to the physical experience of a wrap-around sound show from Guillermo Galindowho used “sound totemic cybernetic healing objects”—found objects left by immigrants at the United States/Mexico border—to compose the sound bath. And it is through visiting a place and experiencing unique encounters that creative thinking and collaboration flourish. When FotoFocus invited the Southwest artist and muralist Chip Thomas (aka jetsonorama) to present a solo exhibition during the 2024 Biennale, Thomas was struck by the rich history of murals within Cincinnati. The resulting commissioned mural by Thomas, in conjunction with the exhibit, honored a local West End muralist: a project that would not have happened without Thomas’ visits to the region to experience the depth of Cincinnati’s art culture where his work resonated.
Looking ahead to this fall, as the eighth iteration of the Biennale begins in October, our investment in a physical space will redefine our engagement with the region during this ambitious undertaking. At the FotoFocus Center, we can place the Biennial in a specific location while strengthening 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 Biennale’s unique structure, not of localized, site-specific commissions, but rather as a regional invitation to organizations that bring lens-based photography and art from around the world. Such a discursive approach opens our programming to the wider community of which we are a part and with which we strive to engage each year.
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