Kranj Foto Fest, established in 2021 by Fernanda Prado Verčič and Petra Puhar Kejžar, has never been a festival that begs for attention, but in 2024 it offered one of its strongest editions yet. Spanning from August 21 to September 28 in the Slovenian towns of Kranj and Ljubljana, the festival kept things compact—not in scope, but in tone. No spectacle, no slogans. Just a clean, intentional program that treated photography as a medium still capable of thinking slowly.

The jury’s decision to leave the open call, which received over 1,000 submissions from photographers worldwide, untethered from any theme could’ve easily resulted in conceptual sprawl. But this year’s winner, Fault Line by Ana Zibelnik and Jakob Ganslmeier, brought quiet cohesion. Installed at the Galerija Janeza Puharja in Kranj, the project explored the climate crisis and its societal impacts through images attuned to inherited trauma and the unspoken weight of ecological anxiety.

From the series Fault Line by Ana Zibelnik (SI) and Jakob Ganslmeier (DE), the winners of the Kranj Foto Fest Open Call 2024. The exhibition was held at Stolp Škrlovec, Galerija Janeza Puharja, Škrlovec 1, Kranj 22. 8.–28. 9. 2024

What stood out across exhibitions wasn’t size or scale, but precision. Venezuelan artist Andrés Pérez, one of the shortlisted open call finalists, exhibited Dead Family at the Cene Avguštin Gallery. Drawing from family archives, the project interrogates heteronormative narratives with a tactile sense of personal loss—quietly unsettling without ever being overdetermined.

Another two solo exhibitions out of the archival projects selected through the festival's Open Call also grabbed the attention. One was Frantz Fanon, Me, and The Questions by Algerian photographer Issam Larkat at the Slovenski trg (Slovenian Square) in Kranj. In this series, Larkat engages with the legacy of Frantz Fanon, a Martinique-born psychiatrist and anti-colonial thinker who became a key figure in Algeria’s struggle for independence. The project combines photographs, archival materials, and hand-drawn illustrations to explore themes of colonialism, identity, and resistance. Larkat reflects on Fanon's relevance today, particularly in the context of modern Algeria and broader African and Arab identities.

The second one, was the exhibition Dead Family by Venezuelan photographer Andrés Pérez was showcased from August 22 to September 28, 2024, at Galerija Ceneta Avguština ZVKDS in Kranj (see header image). In it, Pérez presents an autobiographical and collaborative intervention into censored queer childhood memories. The series reimagines the family album, bringing to light previously hidden gestures of subversion and diversity. By reworking found footage with subtle textures, lighting, and applications, Pérez reconstructs childhood photographs, combining them with softly lit portraits. This approach transforms images of a child once in hiding into compositions that confidently articulate queerness, both personal and collective.

In Ljubljana, Kiana Hayeri’s Promises Written on the Ice, Left in the Sun was exhibited at Galerija Fotografija. The series, which won the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in 2022, follows the lives of women in Afghanistan. Hayeri’s images resist the tropes that often haunt conflict photography—they are intimate, sometimes painfully so, whilst the false comfort of narrative clarity.

From the exhibition Seventy Years Ago Was Seven Minutes Ago by Blaž Gutman (SI) held at Kino Šiška, Ljubljana 21. 8.–7. 9. 2024

Also in Ljubljana, the exhibition Seventy Years Ago Was Seven Minutes Ago by Slovenian photographer Blaž Gutman took place from August 21 to September 7, 2024, at Kino Šiška. a deeply personal photographic series developed over seven years, focusing on Gutman's stepfather, Janez, who is living with dementia. The work explores the gradual transformation of Janez's perception of time and daily life, highlighting the repetitive nature of his routines and the erosion of memory caused by the illness.

From the series Owl, Fox, Hedgehog, Deer by Jaka Teršek (SI) held at the Main Square in front of Prešeren Theatre 22. 8.–28. 9. 2024

In the Main Square in front of the Prešeren Theatre in Kranj, the exhibition Owl, Fox, Hedgehog, Deer by Slovenian photographer Jaka Teršek was showcased from August 22 to September 28, 2024. The work was also selected through the Kranj Foto Fest Open Call. is a personal exploration of his hometown in Slovenia, intertwining photographs with narratives that delve into local myths, folklore, and the evolving identity of the place.

From the series 85 by Kinga Wrona (PL) at the Kokra River canyon, Kranj 22. 8.–28. 9. 2024

Kranj Foto Fest is deeply embedded in the local environment, emphasizing the integration of exhibitions into the city's urban and natural landscapes. The exhibition 85 by Polish photographer Kinga Wrona was held from August 22 to September 28, 2024, in the Kokra River canyon in Kranj—known as one of Europe's deepest urban canyons. The series 85 documents the 2021 eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, which lasted 85 days—the longest in the island's recorded history.

From the series SHIFTERS by Marta Bogdańska (PL) at Tunnels under the old town of Kranj, entrance from Tavčarjeva Street 22. 8.–28. 9. 2024

Elsewhere, group shows avoided the pitfall of curatorial overreach. Photographers like Farzana Akhtar, Marta Bogdańska, and Imane Djamil didn’t share a single theme, but their works didn’t need one. What emerged was not a collective message, but a network of unresolved tensions—migration, memory, gender, climate—all held in deliberate suspension, not artificially resolved. For instance, Bogdanska presented her acclaimed project SHIFTERS at the Layer House (Layerjeva hiša) in Kranj, which delves into the intriguing and often overlooked history of animals being used for espionage, communication, and other military purposes during conflicts. The project utilizes archival materials to tell these stories, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of human and animal lives in wartime.

Workshops and tours did what they’re supposed to do: support the work, not distract from it. Photochemistry and visual storytelling sessions were practical and well-attended. Kela is an art production space in Slovenia that serves as a meeting point for artists. For Kranj Foto Fest 2024, Kela (represented by Peter Fettich and Sara Rman) was scheduled to host a workshop titled "Photochemistry, Darkroom Basics And The Contemporary Photograph As An Object.” The workshop focused on printing photographs in the darkroom using liquid emulsion on various substrates (paper, glass, wood) and creating supportive structures or frames from materials like stone, wood, and metal. Evening projections—particularly those presented in partnership with PhMuseum, which showcased open call winners and finalists—added another layer of international perspective without turning into brand showcases.

But if there was one real shift in this year’s edition, it was the mentorship program. Titled In Memory (Of): Socially Engaged Photography, and led by Jošt Franko, it brought together six young Slovenian photographers working on issues ranging from displacement to marginalized communities. The program didn’t just offer feedback—it gave them a full structure of support, critique, and public presentation. Over six intensive sessions, Tine Bohinc, Tadej Dolinar, Ajda Justin, Tinkara Petrič Milič, Ela Zdešar, and Patricija Zupanič moved from raw ideas to a co-curated group exhibition that became part of the official festival calendar, marking a meaningful step toward building photographic infrastructure within Slovenia.

Header image: Maša Pirc, Luka Dakskobler Kranj Fotofest