The Lens

Having Drawn Over 1 Million Visitors Since Its 2012 Inception, America’s Largest Photography Biennial Returns to Explore Time and Perspective

(Cincinnati, OH — April 15, 2025) — FotoFocus, the nonprofit arts organization dedicated to creating dialogue between contemporary lens-based art and the history of photography, is pleased to announce the return of the FotoFocus Biennial with its eighth edition: The Long View. Taking place in October 2026, the month-long celebration of lens-based art will consider aspects of time and perspective in photography and film,... Continue reading FotoFocus Announces Theme for 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View

From watching construction progress on the FotoFocus Center, to hosting the Visiting Lecture and Artist Series, fostering new community partnerships, implementing the 2024 Biennial, and installing a mural, this year has been nothing short of exciting. We're excited to share a photo gallery from the Biennial. Stay tuned for 2025 as we look forward to welcoming visitors to the FotoFocus Center.

Below we recap 5 things that shaped our 2024.

The 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: backstories included 107 projects at 86 Participating Venues across Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky—the largest of its kind in America. These projects featured international, national, and regional artists and curators, focusing on stories that are not evident at first glance—offering context for what happened previously or out of view, providing narratives not yet told or presented from a new perspective.

The Biennial Opening Weekend Program featured a keynote lecture, talks and panel discussions with artists, curators, and collaborators, designed to inspire conversations about the world through photography, film,... Continue reading 2024 Biennial Opening Program Video Gallery

For the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial, we teamed up with local videographers to produce a series of Artist and Curator Interviews. The majority of these videos were first premiered at the August 22nd Biennial Preview and Passport Launch at the OTR Stillhouse. Cindependent Film Festival helped us to create a fun cinematic experience for guests with their Reels on Wheels mobile cinema. We, then, shared shorter edits of each interview on social media throughout the month of October. Check out each of the full-length interview videos below:

As part of the 2024 Biennial, FotoFocus features Participating Venues in Spotlight Weekends: Opportunities to visit multiple Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators are more likely to be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial and map out a plan to get to as many Venues as possible.

Featured here: Dayton; Friday, October 25 – Sunday, October 27, 2024