Encontros da Imagem, with more than thirty years of existence, is a non-profit cultural association, that promotes annually an International Photography and Visual Arts Festival in the city of Braga, Portugal.
The 28th edition will take place from the 21st of September to the 28th of October in Braga, with parallel exhibitions happening in Barcelos, Guimarães and Porto.
Once more the festival has developed an eclectic programme celebrating emerging and established artists, classic and contemporary photography and visual arts.
The inspiration for this years’ festival Encontros de Imagem, came from a series of interviews produced by the Dutch Director Wim Kayzer, which invites the viewer to reflect on the concepts of “Beauty and Consolation”. The festival will present various photographic exhibits under this theme, presenting national and international photographers in several public and private spaces (historical and monumental buildings, museums, galleries and others).
Encontros da Imagem will promote an open call for the Discovery Awards, where the winners have the opportunity to exhibit their work during the festival and will also organize EMERGENTES 2018 – International Photography Award Encontros da Imagem. This prize, 5.000€ for the best Photography Portfolio is awarded after the Portfolio Review, which gives photographers the opportunity to show their work to an international jury, composed by commissioners, gallery owners and expert editors, thus establishing solid foundations for the promotion of their work. The program for this festival will also include conferences, projections, concerts, performances, workshops and events connected with photography books.
Encontros da Imagem is a cultural photographic reference in Portugal, and has reached a prominent position in the international panorama, being currently one of the oldest photography festivals in Europe.
We are living through times of great violence, violence between people and violence between people and nature. As a society, we have forgotten what history has taught us - that violence only brings more violence.
We are living through times of fractured opinions, where these destroy entire families, communities, and countries. Times of censored discourses and of the politically correct. Times where we are constantly being bombarded with contradictory information which makes us live in fear and in a state of constant vigilance. This fear also makes us feel as if our bodies suddenly lost their power to keep us safe. Most of us feel at home when we are allowed to speak our own language, but thousands have been forced to flee their homes and live in countries where no one speaks their language and where their basic human rights are being neglected. We are scared, so we have become egocentric and resort to violence, we put up walls and we create borders be they physical or mental.
The time has come where we have to decide as a society if we will move forward with tolerance, defending human rights and thinking about our planet as our final refuge. Will it be against racism, xenofobia, gender inequality or any other kind of intolerance ? Or will we continue living with these traumas and see where they lead us?
Encontros da Imagem - International Photography and Visual Arts Festivals in its 29th edition through contemporary photography, want’s to bring together different ideas and ways of seeing our present world in an effort to open up discussion around these subjects. Subjects which are relevant but so fractured, and thus help rethink and reimagine our future!
