Exhibit Around APS and Trieste Photo Days renew their longstanding partnership with the Fototeca dei Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte of the Municipality of Trieste, embarking on a new and compelling chapter of visual enquiry that will culminate in a prestigious exhibition at Trieste Photo Days 2026.

The project is funded by the Consiglio Regionale del Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Female Portraits in Dialogue: From Historical to Contemporary Photography is conceived as a a bridge between past and present, an opportunity to bring the precious female portraits held within the historical archives of the Trieste Fototeca into conversation with the sensibilities of contemporary photographers.

In this encounter, the faces of yesterday speak once more to the present day, shedding light on both the continuities and the transformations in the representation of women across the centuries. Photography thus reaffirms itself as a powerful instrument of storytelling and renewal, capable of drawing together different eras through the force of a shared gaze.

To enrich this exchange between the archive and the present moment, an international Open Call has been launched from 10 April 2026, inviting photographers from across the globe to interpret feminine identity through the art of portraiture. 

The selection of works and the curation of the exhibition will be entrusted to Claudia Colecchia, Head of the Fototeca dei Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte of the Municipality of Trieste which currently holds over 3,600,000 photographic assets.

The exhibition, staged by Exhibit Around a exhibition venue of the Municipality of Trieste on the occasion of Trieste Photo Days 2026, will give rise to a genuine crossing of gazes: contemporary female portraits submitted through the Open Call will enter into direct dialogue with masterworks by photographers active between the 19th and 20th-century such as Giuseppe Wulz, Marion Wulz, Ugo Borsatti, Adriano de Rota, Emil Rabending, Carl Pietzner, and Giovanni Battista Berra. These historical works capture women from vastly different contexts and roles: from the Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) to the traditional bread-sellers of Servola, and Japanese women observed during a tea ceremony.

Female Portraits in Dialogue presents itself as an original exercise in visual enquiry, bringing the heritage of the Fototeca dei Civici Musei di Trieste into rich conversation with the creative sensibilities of the international photography community.

Useful Info:

• Submissions open: starting April 10th
• How to participate: log in to the Exhibit Around platform at my.dotlogic.net, read the rules and regulations, and upload your portfolio.

Join Female Portraits in dialogue and take your photography beyond the boundaries of the visible!

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Open Call

Female portraits in dialogue

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