This season, photography exhibitions across Europe and the US are using image-making, installation and archival practice to confront some of the defining questions of our time: who controls representation, how technology reshapes tradition, and what it means to preserve identity under political and social pressure. From Amsterdam to Phoenix, artists are examining the tensions between truth and fiction, resistance and erasure. Presented at Huis Marseille, Fondazione Prada, Kunsthalle Bremen, Fotografiska Stockholm and Phoenix Art Museum, these exhibitions approach urgent contemporary issues with intimacy and ambition.
Yumna Al-Arashi: Body as Resistance
Huis Marseille, Amsterdam | Until 21 June
Yemeni-Egyptian-American artist Yumna Al-Arashi began her career as a documentary photographer, making images for major publications including National Geographic, The New York Times and The Guardian. However, after feeling conflicted about the ethics of her position in the media, she took the work in a more political, conceptual direction. Now, Huis Marseille presents her first solo museum exhibition. Here, Al-Arashi makes use of photography, books and sculpture to counter the oppression and stereotyping of women worldwide, instead of depicting them as strong, proud and resilient.
Remix. Photography – Fiction and Truth
Kunsthalle, Bremen | Until January 2027
Can photography still be trusted today? What role can it play in the age of AI and deep fakes? The camera has long been considered a tool for creating authentic reproduction of reality. But the notion of the photograph as an objective, reliable document has shifted in recent years. Now, we live in a world where we question every single thing we see. Fiction and Truth builds on these fascinating concepts, presenting more than 75 works from Kunsthalle Bremen’s extensive collection, by August Sander, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Candida Höffer, Taryn Simon, Thomas Ruff, Thomas Struth and Richard Mosse.
Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)
Phoenix Art Museum | Until 28 June
Caro Romero’s vivid and distinctive photography is dedicated to the diversity and cultural heritage of Indigenous communities. A citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Romero was raised between the rural Chemeheuvi reservation Mojave Desert, California, the urban sprawl of Houston, Texas. Romero’s work is informed by her identity, challenging dominant narratives of Indigenous decline and erasure, whilst disrupting preconceived notions about what it means to be a Native American. She connects the past and present, weaving myth, contemporary reality and futurist aesthetics.
Not a Typical Persian Girl
Fotografiska, Stockholm | Until 31 May
Riding a bike, singing, going to a football match. These are everyday activities for most people, but not for Iranian women. Here, duo Atoosa Farahmand and Oscar Hagberg highlight how freedoms have been restricted since the 1979 revolution. They depict a daily life marked by oppression, but also by strength, resistance and refusing to be silenced. Their work takes on new relevance following US-Isreal airstrikes, which began on 28 February. The future of the area remains uncertain. “We dedicate this exhibition to all the women of Iran who are currently risking their lives for freedom, democracy and equality.”
Cao Fei: Dash
Fondazione Prada, Milan |9 April – 28 September
Over the past three years, Cao Fei has travelled across farmlands throughout Southern and Northwestern China, as well as Southeast Asia, observing the emergence of smart agriculture in response to worsening challenges like extreme weather, water scarcity and labour shortages. Dash combines documentary, photography, video installation and virtual reality to reveal how new technologies can safeguard food security for future generations. However, the show also confronts major issues, like how algorithms are displacing traditional knowledge, or raising concerns about ecology.
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1&6. Cao Fei, Nova 17, 2019. Photo from Nova series. Courtesy of the artist.
2. © Yumna Al-Arashi, I Am Whoever You Want Me To Be, 2018.
3. Richard Mosse, If I Ran the Zoo, 2012, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen, © Richard Mosse.
4. Cara Romero, Coyote Girl, 2024, archival pigment print. © Cara Romero. Image courtesy of the artist.
5. Not A Typical Persian Girl © Atoosa Farahmand och Oscar Hagberg.
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