A great selection of dummies, stack of books, the best breakfast in town and the history of protest – we announce the Photobook program.
2025 Photobook Program includes four exhibitions, the best breakfast in town and the Photographic Publication of the Year award. This year, the exhibitions will be a wide cross-section of the publishing scene from all over the world, reflecting different chronological times. A special highlight will be given to an overview of the history of protests, where each of the selected books sheds light on more subject areas, giving new life to forgotten publications and bringing to light unknown stories of local protests. Another photobook section dives into the history and daily life of Palestinians, extending it to the broader context of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. In addition, we present a stack of books by one of the most creative and humorous authors on the American book scene. Here’s the program of what will take place in Lodz in less than a month.
EXHIBITIONS
_ The exhibition Stack of Books is the result of the Fotofestiwal’s invitation to Jason Fulford. The artist, who this year is also showcasing at the YMCA swimming pool (exhibition Lots Of Lots) selected over 10 books of which he is the author or editor. The titular stack refers to the artist’s working method, where his camera accompanies him on every journey, and subsequent books are the result of his editorial genius. Fulford skillfully combines archival photographs, short texts, and his own photographs, constructing engaging narratives. More information on the exhibition here.
_ Dummy Award 2025 is an international photobook competition for the best unpublished photobook mock-up of the year and one of the most prestigious and recognized photo book brands in the Western world. Its part is a worldwide touring exhibition of the awarded works. Fotofestiwal will showcase 50 books from around the world honored in the last edition of the competition from among 395 entries submitted from 48 countries. More information on the exhibition here.
_ Palestinian Photobooks. A selection of books from the last twenty years engaging with the subject of Palestinian identity, the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the resistance of Palestinians and the systemic oppression to which they are subjected on a daily basis. The selection includes Against Erasure, a collection of turn-of-the-century photographs showing the Palestinian territories before the occupation; Scott Caruth’s Molatham, which tells the story of Palestinian photographic studios and the use of photography as a tool of social control; as well as Maen Hammad’s Landing, whose exhibition on Palestinian skaters and oppressive Israeli architecture was included in the festival’s main program. More information on the exhibition here.
_ In Protest We Trust, a selection of protest photobooks from the Protestinphotobook collection. The exhibition presents “evidence” of past acts of resistance and the involvement of many photographers who believed in the need to document them. The books on display are from the comprehensive Protestinphotobook collection, curated by Luciano Zuccaccia. A special feature of this exhibition is the opportunity to look at books on protests published in the same years, but in different, often geographically distant countries. More information on the exhibition here.
LATE BREAKFAST WITH PHOTO BOOKS
The beloved event where there will be, among other things, a meeting with the winners of the Photographic Publication of the Year, as many as five international photobooks presentations, including some premieres: El Gobierno Te Odia (The Government Hates You) from Christopher Gregory-Rivera, ملثم (‘MOLATHAM’) by Scott Caruth and The Lines We Draw from Lavinia Parlamenti and Manfredi Pantanella, as such examples. Luciano Zuccaccia will share more about the exhibition In Protest we Trust, the same with Jason Fulford, editor and publisher, author of the book Lots Of Lots, which inspired the exhibition in the YMCA pool and Stack of Books.
The polish authors and publishers will be represented by Karol Szymkowiak, with the book 0169-8629 5223-01750; Karolina Gembara and the authors of NO 13 – a book published as part of the Sputnik Photos mentorship program; Marta Kiela-Czarnik, author of the book wejdzie i wyjdzie, i znajdzie (will enter and leave, and find); Joanna Szpak-Ostachowska, author of the book Sześć wazonów (Six Vases); Anita Andrzejewska, with Dancing Your Dream Awake; and Katerina Kouzmitcheva and Tomek Kudaszewicz, editors of One Billion ISO magazine. More information on the event here.
See you there!
