ValenciaPhoto 2026
A dialogue of Mediterranean identities told through the double-exposed streets of Morocco and the ancient pulse of the sea.
Image credit
PREMIO OPEN CALL VALENCIAPHOTO’26
Meet the artist
Thami Benkirane
The Movement
Contemporary photographyArtLovers Tip
Pay close attention to the edges of the frames in the Moroccan Graffiti series; the artist creates every composite image at the exact moment of the shot, meaning the alignment of the human figures and the wall markings is a matter of perfect timing rather than editing.
Exhibition Highlights - What you'll see
ValenciaPhoto returns as a bridge across the Mediterranean, transforming the festival space into a forum for the visual image and cultural debate. At the heart of this edition, Moroccan photographer Thami Benkirane explores the genius loci of the medina through his series Moroccan Graffiti. By capturing human movement and street markings in a single shutter release, Benkirane elevates urban grit into a palimpsest of modern life.
You're watching a world where the static and the fleeting collide in real time. Portraits of passersby merge with torn posters and rusted metal, creating ghost-like layers that suggest a city is never just one thing at once. The light of the Mediterranean, filtered through narrow alleys, provides a warm, tactile texture to every frame.
Worth the trip
- Double-exposure mastery: Witness Thami Benkirane’s unique technique of in-camera superimposition, where complex narratives are built without any digital post-production.
- Mediterranean focus: Explore a curated selection of works that treat the sea not as a border, but as a shared history of migration and rebirth.
- Global debate: Join an international gathering of curators and theorists in an atmosphere that breathes photography for ten intense days in July.
How to experience it
Begin your journey through the festival's main hubs, letting the overlapping textures of Moroccan street life set your pace. Look for the small details in Benkirane's work—the way a child's face might hide behind a spray-painted message. Afterward, walk toward the water at dusk. Watch the horizon and consider how these same waves connect the very landscapes and faces you have just seen on the gallery walls.
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