Futures Talents 2026
Here are the five artists invited by Fotofestiwal to collaborate on the international promotion and development of their careers under the Futures Platform.
>> Sasha Velichko (BY)
>> Anna Kieblesz (PL)
>> Irena Kalicka (PL)
>> Artur Pławski (PL)
>> Mateusz Pecyna (PL)
Including in this partnership is a slideshow at Fotofestiwal 2026, followed by several other events such as meetings, workshops, exhibitions and publications co-created by eighteen European galleries, photography festivals, museums and european media affiliated with the Futures Platform.
Read more about the Futures Platform and the talents selected by other partners ➔ futures-photography.com
FUTURES TALENTS FOTOFESTIWAL ’26 GET TO KNOW THEM
SASHA VELICHKO
Is a Belarusian artist living and working in Poland. She works with photography, analog and digital archives, artificial intelligence, and textiles, analyzing the phenomena of propaganda, post-truth, manipulation, and trauma. She explores the relationship between memory and power. She is also the laureate of the first edition of the Fotofestiwal Grant, and her exhibition will be presented during the 25th Fotofestiwal. She holds a degree in radiophysics and incorporates scientific logic and analytical methods into her artistic process.
ANNA KIEBLESZ
Works at the intersection of photography, performance, light, installation, and textiles. Her practice moves between image-based thinking and tactile, material processes. Her work examines how identity, memory, and subjectivity are shaped through embodied experience. She places discomfort, shame, trauma, and transformation at the center of her interests. She graduated in photography from the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague (2018) and from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam (2024).
IRENA KALICKA
Is a visual artist and photographer whose work addresses themes of violence and exclusion through staged, often grotesque imagery. Combining dark humor with elements of masquerade, she tackles issues of intolerance and the stigmatization of minorities. She draws inspiration from mythology, literature, and classical art. She is a graduate of the Film School in Łódź.
ARTUR PŁAWSKI
Describes himself as a late-debut artist. He constructs subtle narratives around masculinity, marked by sensitivity and a distinctive perspective. In his work he focuses on moments when facts lose their apparent obviousness, the image reveals its subjective character, and emerging meanings point toward a broader interpretative context. He explores the relationship between the individual and urban space, as well as the influence of ideology and language on perception. He is particularly interested in images that resist clear or definitive interpretation. He is a graduate of philosophy at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
MATEUSZ PECYNA
Creates multilayered, often multisensory installations that combine found video materials, documents, AI-generated images, and objects, addressing contemporary questions about the credibility of images and perception. Rather than treating technology as a neutral tool, he values its culture-shaping potential. He is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.
Futures Platform is supported by UE in the frame of Creative Europe Program.
