European Month of Photography in Luxembourg - EMoPLux
The 10th edition of the European Month of Photography runs from 13 to 16 May. The highlights include the opening ceremonies, portfolio presentations and the award of the Arendt Prize. However, many events can be visited earlier and some will remain open after the festival. The 2025 edition of "Rethinking Photography" features 28 exciting projects and exhibitions. Here are the key events you can't afford to miss. For this anniversary edition, we've prepared a short interview with Pierre Stiwer and Paul di Felice, the founders of the festival in Luxembourg!
A traditional photography biennial
The European Month of Photography has been held every two years in Luxembourg since 2006, and it has become a fixed date on the calendars of amateurs and professionals alike. The festival is organised by Café-Crème a.s.b.l. This association was founded in 1984 by Paul di Felice and Pierre Stiwer, both independent curators and publishers, and the architect Paul Bretz. It is active in the field of contemporary art and focuses on photography and image-related forms of expression.
The concept of the European Month of Photography was launched for the first time in 2004, by the "Maison Européenne de la Photographie" in Paris. Since then, their mission has not changed: to develop partnerships with other European capital cities, to share its expertise and skill in managing photography festivals, to create joint projects, and to foster exchanges between photographers in its member countries.
The partner cities and members of EMoP a.s.b.l. also form the network of the "European Month of Photography". This network currently comprises the company Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH, the FOTO WIEN photo festival in Vienna and Imago in Lisbon, the FetArt collective and its Circulations festival in Paris, the PhotoBrussels festival and Café-Crème a.s.b.l. in Luxembourg.
L'EMoPLux collaborates with nearly all of the Grand Duchy's art institutions and various private spaces and galleries. There are also other public places such as the National Library, the National Archives and LUCA (Luxembourg Center for Architecture) presenting exhibitions. And don't forget to venture outside the capital to discover works by other photographers in Dudelange, Clervaux, Ettelbruck and even in the neighbouring town of Trier (Germany)!
A catalogue is produced for each edition.
Three questions for... Pierre Stiwer and Paul di Felice
- This year marks the 10th edition of EMoPLux. In your opinion, what have been the most significant changes in photography and events over the last twenty years?
Pierre Stiwer: The most significant changes were the switch from analogue to digital in the 1990s, followed by the massive transfer of image traffic to the Internet from 2010 onwards. In the 1990s, the possibility of manipulating an image via Photoshop emerged. While, more recently, alterations made with artificial intelligence have gained ground. From 2006 onwards, as part of the EMOP, we've had the opportunity to exchange ideas with many artists and curators from the European Union, and even from Moscow. In the past, exchanges have also taken place with Athens, Bratislava, Budapest and Rome. However, these exchanges gradually diminished due to the political and economic climate, which was less favourable to the European idea, leading to a shift towards cultural nationalism at institutional level.
Paul di Felice: Photography's status has changed since the 1980s, when we launched Café-Crème magazine to promote photography as a work of art. Since the first edition of the European Month of Photography in 2006, the most significant change has been the shift from analogue to digital, which we reviewed in three editions under the title of "Mutations". At present, photographic images face new challenges in the age of artificial intelligence. These issues take centre stage in this latest edition entitled "Rethinking Photography".
- Taking the past ten editions into account, which one stands out in your memory and why?
Pierre Stiwer: It is difficult to single out a specific exhibition from the broad range of themes presented at the MNHA, Cercle, Casino, Arendt House and Mudam. From a purely curatorial perspective, we aim to capture the current vibe, nurture the right atmosphere and find the right balance between the space and the spirit of the works. With this in mind, the exhibition at Mudam in 2009 devoted to the theme of "Moving Stills" stands out for the spectacular dimension of its video projections. The "DistUrbances" exhibition at the MNHA in 2013 and "Bodyfictions" at the Cercle in 2019, with its complementary exhibitions at the Casino, Arendt House and MNHA, offer a fairly comprehensive overview of the most interesting work being done in Europe in this particular field.
Paul di Felice: There isn't a particular event that stands out, but I remember that during the pandemic, the EMoPLux festival was held with limited access to the exhibitions. The 2021 edition of EMoP Days gave European artists the opportunity to step outside their studios for the first time (again).
- Looking towards the future, where do you see EMoPLux for its 20th edition?
Pierre Stiwer: There won't be a 20th edition under our management and I think photography in the traditional sense will have changed too. As discussed in the catalogue, printed photography will be supplanted by the return of orality and video, becoming a museum object in its own right. It will be replaced by an art form that promotes the multidimensional. Major retrospectives on traditional European photography will take place in Beijing and Shanghai, which can be viewed in Europe on TikTok. The buyers will be from Asia. [laughs]
Paul di Felice: The 20th edition will take place in 2045. I'll be 92 by then, and a little less active. I hope the event will get a new burst of life and continue the work that Pierre Stiwer and I started.
Events that you can't afford to miss
Repenser la photographie: Présence / Absence, Visible / Invisible
The exhibition presented at the Cercle Cité explores the contemporary challenges facing photography, particularly with the advent of artificial intelligence, social movements and demands for authenticity. Among the artists whose works are exhibited, Émilie Pierson examines Bulgarian identity through various media. While Yannick Muller showcases unique perspectives of everyday life and adoptive cell therapies. Anna Schmitt directs visually powerful documentaries and art films, and Lucas Leffler explores the links between work and the Protestant ethic. Marco Godinho focuses on cultural and geographical displacement through videos and performances. Finally, Yann Annicchiarico explores human perception using moths as symbols.
You can visit the exhibition until 29 June 2025.
Beyond the frame, Rethinking Photography
In the exhibition at the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart, the works delve into the future of photography in a changing world. The artists explore authenticity, material and the human experience, redefining the relationship between the artist, the work and the audience. Among the seven artists on show, Marta Djourina uses analogue photographic techniques to create three-dimensional works of art. Joan Fontcuberta presents a series of photographs generated by artificial intelligence from descriptions of plants. Letizia Romanini addresses themes of memory and transformation, exploring the formation of stalactites and stalagmites.
You can visit the collective exhibition until 16 November 2025.
Revelation(s) / Portfolio – Platform
One very special event is the meeting between emerging artists in the Grand Duchy and contemporary photography experts. At this portfolio exposé, young photographers will be able to make themselves known to both international experts and the general public via a ten-minute presentation followed by individual feedback from the experts, who will comment on the works in private with the young photographers. The platform serves as a potential trigger for future exhibitions, publications and recommendations made to other curators and exhibition venues. Interested parties may submit a portfolio.
"Revelation(s) 2025" takes place on 14 May at the Abbaye de Neumünster.
Daphné Le Sergent at the University of Luxembourg
The video "Silicon Islands and War" by Daphné Le Sergent explores the history of photography through the semiconductor industry, from the first digital sensors to AI-generated images. It highlights the key role played by Kyushu's Silicon Island, a Japanese industrial hub producing cutting-edge semi-conductors. The images presented at the University of Luxembourg evoke the ruins of past civilisations and natural disasters, highlighting the urgency of modern times.
"Silicon Islands and War" runs until 13 June 2025.
Lisa Oppenheim at the Mudam
The Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art showcases Lisa Oppenheim with "Monsieur Steichen". The American artist presents her latest body of work in response to the artistic legacy of Edward Steichen, the Luxembourg-born photographer and curator. It explores the lesser-known aspects of Steichen's work, such as his passion for flowers, his textile creations and his experiments with colour photography. The exhibition includes photographic prints, revisited textile motifs, photographs of Steichen's family, and an outdoor floral installation. Through these works, Lisa Oppenheim sketches a subjective and abstract portrait of Edward Steichen, inviting us to envision the image's potential for transformation.
The exhibition will run until 24 July 2025.
"And the winner is…"
Sylvie Bonnot, Marta Djourina, Raisan Hameed, Simon Lehner and Paulo Simão are the five nominees for the Arendt Award 2025 . You can discover these artists and their works from 17 May until 15 September on the premises of Arendt & Medernach – Arendt House – on the Kirchberg plateau. The exhibition presents the themes of identity, perception and memory, using analogue techniques and public as well as personal archives. It aims to create a form of creative resistance against the growing immateriality shaped by artificial intelligence.
Since 2013, the law firm (which has offices around the world), has awarded a prize to a virtual artist every two years as part of the European Month of Photography. Supporting photography is one of the firm's main initiatives as they are passionate about contemporary art. In addition to holding exhibitions at its Luxembourg head office, the firm has built up an art collection over the years that captures the main trends in contemporary photography.
Reality Check at the Konschthal in Esch-sur-Alzette
The Konschthal Esch presents the works of six artists who delve into the human experience and nature through photography . Gaëlle Choisne focuses on at Haiti's resilience after the 2010 earthquakes. Guillaume Greff divulges the mysterious presence of the wolf and the lynx. Erik Kessels breathes new life to abandoned family albums. Birgit Ludwig explores the landscape of contested memories following the Dayton Peace Accords. Marc Schroeder tells the story of the deportation of Germans from Romania in 1944. Séverine Peiffer invites young people to explore their identity using the wet collodion technique. These projects go beyond the realms of a documentary and challenge our perceptions of the world.
The exhibition takes place from 17 May to 22 June 2025.
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