‘Horizons’ invites artists and audiences to consider what lies beyond our present technological, environmental, social, economic and geopolitical boundaries. It builds on photography’s long history as a means of bearing witness to the world’s vastness, while recognising that the medium itself stands again at a new threshold.
For many, horizons suggest the unknown: places not yet reached, stories not yet told, and futures still taking shape. But the horizon in 2026 is not only out in the world. It is also within photography itself. As image-making becomes more digital, automated and AI-driven, questions of truth, materiality, authorship and trust come sharply into view.
04-30 JUNE 26
PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Belfast Photo Festival is hosting two days of virtual, one on one portfolio reviews with 31 Irish, British and International photography experts. Friday 19th & Saturday 20th June 26.
Featured Exhibitions
âš² Belfast City Hall
One Bed, Two Blankets, Eighty-Five Rules | Sabine Hess and Nicolas Polli
4 - 30 June | Dawn to Dusk
A project in continuous evolution, ‘One Bed, Two Blankets, Eighty-Five Rules’ by Sabine Hess and Nicolas Polli explores the shared rituals, expectations and tensions of a relationship through a set of imagined rules for living together.
âš² Belfast Exposed
Camera Obsolete? | Belfast Photo Festival
4 - 30 June | Dawn to Dusk
'Camera Obsolete?' is a participatory installation and major public exhibition confronting the collapse of photography’s mechanical era. Conceived and produced by Belfast Photo Festival, audiences are invited to destroy, dismantle, repair or recast obsolete cameras into new sculptural forms. Part participation, part spectacle and part material transformation, the exhibition forces questions of authorship, truth and the erosion of photography as a physical, tangible medium.
âš² Botanic Gardens
How was your Dream? | Thaddé Comar
4 - 30 June | Dawn to Dusk
‘How Was Your Dream?’ is a documentary photographic project created during the Hong Kong protests of 2019. The work addresses new forms of demonstration and insurrection in an era shaped by increasingly seamless systems of control.
âš² Botanic Gardens
Acedia | Louise Desnos
4 - 30 June | Dawn to Dusk
‘Acedia’ reflects on laziness, idleness and introspection as both a personal state and a quiet form of resistance. Through images of stillness, drift and everyday non-events, Louise Desnos explores time, doubt and the fragile line between freedom and melancholy.
âš² Botanic Gardens
The Journey Home From School | Laura Pannack
4 - 30 June | Dawn to Dusk
The Journey Home explores the daily walk to and from school in Cape Town’s gang-governed Cape Flats, where the threat of violence shapes ordinary childhood routines. Made collaboratively with young participants, the work offers an intimate portrait of adolescence, danger and resilience.
âš² Antrim Castle Gardens
Exploring Antrim and Newtownabbey | Evanna Devine
12 - 14 June | 10am - 6pm
‘Exploring Antrim and Newtownabbey’ is a year-round project unfolding across the four seasons through four commissions and a public photography competition. Beginning with Evanna Devine in spring, it invites audiences to discover the borough’s landscapes, heritage and history in fresh ways, ready for the competition launch in August 2026.
Featured Events
âš² Belfast Exposed
Opening Night: ‘Camera Obsolete?’
Thurs 4 June | 6pm - 9pm
Celebrate the launch of ‘Camera Obsolete?’ and Belfast Photo Festival 2026 at ‘Late Night Art.’ 'Camera Obsolete?' is a participatory installation and major public exhibition confronting the collapse of photography’s mechanical era. Audiences and special guests are invited to destroy, dismantle, repair or recast obsolete cameras into new sculptural forms.
âš² Ulster Museum
Public Images, Private Lives
Sat 6 June | 2pm - 4:30pm
Two panel conversations unpacking the themes and questions raised by the work of Swiss artists Thaddé Comar, Sabine Hess and Nicolas Polli. Thaddé Comar’s panel is hosted by Toby Smith, Belfast Photo Festival, whilst Sabine Hess and Nicolas Polli’s panel is hosted by Savannah Dodd of the Photography Ethics Centre.
âš² Belfast Exposed
Irish Photo Network Symposium
Sat 27 June | 1pm - 5pm
A free afternoon symposium exploring photography in the digital age, from AI and disinformation to ethics and representation. Bringing together artists, curators and photography organisations from across Ireland, the event forms part of the Irish Photo Network’s cross-border programme ‘Altered Images: Photography & Truth in the Digital Age’.
âš² Meeting Point: Bank of Ireland buildings, Royal Avenue
Historical Photographic Tour with Abandoned NI
Sun 14 June | 11am - 12 Noon
A guided photographic tour through Belfast exploring hidden corners, layers of history and the changing urban landscape.
âš² Bankmore Square/Vault Artist Studios Gallery
Dublin Road Cinema - Vault Artist Studios Group Exhibition
Thurs 4 June | 10pm - 12 Midnight
‘Dublin Road Cinema’ is a guerrilla experimental short film festival taking place in the shadow of the old Movie House.
âš² Botanic Gardens
Lunchtime Talk and Tour: Joe Laverty
Wed 24 June | 1pm - 2pm
Join photographer Joe Laverty to discuss his perspectives on Belfast heritage in ‘Still Standing’
