LIMINAL
EXHIBITIONS | WORKSHOPS | CONFERENCES
6th – 29th March 2026
Mantua, various locations
PRESS RELEASE NO. 3 26th Jan. 2026
Now in its fourth edition, the International Biennial of Women’s Photography of Mantua (BFFMantova) will open on 6th March 2026, confirming itself as a unique event on the world scene. For over a month, the Lombard city will become an international showcase giving space to important artists, some of whom are still little known in our country.
The event is promoted by Associazione La Papessa, with the support of the Municipality of Mantua and FUJIFILM, and under the patronage of the Lombardy Region and the Province of Mantua. As in previous editions, the festival is directed by Alessia Locatelli. For this year, the BFF team has chosen the title Liminal, a term rich with multiple, contemporary, and compelling meanings.
“Liminal” is the threshold, the undefined space that precedes the arrival at a destination. A limbo to cross, drawing near a finish line that remains open and undefined. In this transitional phase, the rules that had been considered valid until then may lose their strength. Those who experience this ambiguous dimension are confronted with uncertainty and disorientation, aware that while the past is already fixed, the present is shifting beneath their feet and the future appears more nebulous than ever, lacking any predictable destination. The only certainty is that a profound process of change is underway, one capable of shaking the very foundations of normality and established order: at times opening up to visions of a bright future, at others bringing back to light dormant darkness stirring in the depths of the world. A moment in which all is called into question, and change unfolds rapidly, for better or worse.
The International Biennial of Women’s Photography has always paid special attention to major social and geopolitical issues. These include education, class inequalities, the consequences of migration — which involve the loss of land, economic resources, and civil liberties — up to the dynamics of neo-colonialism.
The 2026 edition follows the same format as the previous ones, with main exhibitions by Italian and international photographers: Nadia Bseiso (Jordan) Infertile Crescent, Mackenzie Calle (USA) The Gay Space Agency, Lisa Elmaleh (USA) Tierra Prometida, Julia Fullerton-Batten (Germany) Contortion, Lee Grant (Australia) Ancestral Constellations, Pia Paulina Guilmoth (USA) Flowers Drink the River, Keerthana Kunnath (India) Not What You Saw, Barbara Peacock (USA) American Bedroom, Gaia Squarci (Italy) The Cooling Solution (research by the ENERGYA team, curated by Kublaiklan and coordinated by Elementsix), Abbie Trayler-Smith (United Kingdom) The Big O and Kiss it! and an archival exhibition entitled Shifting the Focusthat reinterprets the revolutionary work of a pioneer of American photography, Imogen Cunningham (Portland 1883 – San Francisco, 1976). There are numerous other initiatives, including an Open Call for an Off Circuit, portfolio readings, workshops, conferences, and educational workshops for children.
The venues designated for the exhibitions are Casa di Rigoletto, Casa del Mantegna, Galleria Disegno, Spazio Arrivabene2 and Casa del Pittore.
The fourth edition of the Biennale of Women’s Photography reaffirms a solid and steadily evolving cultural vision, sustained by long-standing partners and an expanding constellation of organisations that recognise culture as a catalyst for social change. The 2026 edition is grounded in a renewed and growing network of partners and supporters, whose active engagement contributes to the realisation of the Biennale.
Supported by the Municipality of Mantua, FUJIFILM
Under the patronage of the Lombardy Region and the Province of Mantua
With contributions from: BAM Foundation, Fondazione Comunità Mantovana Onlus, CRAL Uniti si
vince, TELECOM, S. Martino, Agape, Agapecasa
Technical sponsors: Fotofabbrica, Rufus Photo Hub, Leather Camera Bags, Levoni, onnik.it
Media partners: MediaNet, Il Sublimista, Il Fotografo
In collaboration with: Casa del Mantegna, Galleria Disegno, Casa del Pittore, Librerie Coop, Shelfie Café, Fotofestival Lenzburg, Premio Musa
La Papessa Cultural Association | lapapessa.org
The Association promotes photographic culture, starting from the city of Mantua where it was born. The project originates from an idea by Anna Volpi (President) and Chiara Maretti (Vice President), both photographers. The symbol representing the association is the figure of “La Papessa” (The Popess): in the Tarot, a woman of both spiritual and temporal power, the one who imparts knowledge. We are a group of artists, photographers, visual communication experts, but also people enthusiastic about art and culture in general, united by the desire to create new realities and opportunities in the world of photography.
INFORMATION
Biennale della Fotografia Femminile
LIMINAL
6th-29th March 2026, Mantua (various locations)
TICKET OFFICE
Casa del Mantegna — Via G. Acerbi, 47
Online:
www.boxol.it/next/it/BoxofficeLive/events/600313/eventi-biennale-della-fotografia-femminile-2026
Full ticket: €16
Reduced ticket (under 26 and over 65) €13
La Papessa Members: €12
CRAL members of Bondioli-Pavesi, Irfoss, Fotografica aps, Frammenti di Fotografia, La Ghiacciaia, Fotocineclub Mantova, Fiaf, Topis aps: €14
Families: €12.50 per person (4 people: 2 adults and 2 under 18)
Free: up to 12 years and for visitors with disabilities and their accompanying persons
Groups of 10 or more may book in advance: €14 (reservations via prenotazioni@bffmantova.com)
Guided tours for school groups are also offered on Fridays, by prior reservation.
OPENING HOURS
Casa del Mantegna, Via G. Acerbi, 47 | 10:00 a.m. — 6:30 p.m.
Casa di Rigoletto, Piazza Sordello, 23 | 9:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Galleria Disegno, Via G. Mazzini, 34 | 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Casa del Pittore, Corso Garibaldi, 46 | 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Spazio Arrivabene 2, Via G. Arrivabene, 2| 10:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Exhibitions will be open on Friday, 6 March, and on all Saturdays and Sundays of March (7-8, 14-15, 21-22, 28-29)
