In six editions, Photo Days has become one of the major photographic events of Parisian autumn. Beginning on November 3, the festival brings together museums, galleries, foundations, and unusual venues around a simple ambition: to make the gaze circulate. For a month, photography takes over the city — from its most prestigious institutions to hidden spaces — revealing the breadth and vitality of contemporary creation.
Behind this constellation of exhibitions lies a clear vision: to support the production of original works and give a voice to artists who question our relationship to the world. Since its creation, Photo Days has commissioned more than 30 original projects, offering photographers such as Noémie Goudal, Valérie Belin, Juliette Agnel, and Mohamed Bourouissa unique creative contexts. The 2025 edition continues this approach: from the Chapelle Saint-Louis de la Pitié-Salpêtrière to Studio Harcourt, every venue becomes a laboratory of vision.
Founded and directed by art historian Emmanuelle de l’Ecotais, Photo Days carries a double mission: to defend the French scene while opening it to international dialogue. The festival also aims to be sustainable and inclusive, favoring local partnerships, gender parity, and cultural mediation. This year again, it will offer portfolio readings, workshops, and artist encounters — reaffirming its commitment to a living, open, and socially rooted photography. An intense program that the director reveals in detail in the following interview.
Since its creation in 2020, Photo Days has established itself as a key event for photography in Paris. What, in your view, distinguishes this festival from other image-based events in a very crowded November calendar?
First of all, Photo Days extends across all of Paris and even beyond, as we also have exhibitions in the suburbs. Its distinctiveness lies in discovering new venues each year and commissioning artists to create works specifically for them. We invite visitors to explore private collections, agencies, labs, studios… this diversity is unique. We also like to innovate: in 2021, for example, we invited Valérie Belin to show her work in Frank Horvat’s studio for a dialogue with his archives. The exhibition was such a success that Fiammetta Horvat decided to continue the adventure by inviting a new artist every year. Since the beginning, we’ve also maintained an ethical relationship with artists — they are paid, we produce the works that then belong to them, and we take no commission on potential sales. It’s a true support for contemporary creation, made possible thanks to our loyal sponsors and generous private patrons. We also highlight the work of galleries, with whom we collaborate closely. The ecosystem is fragile, and the photography market isn’t what it was ten years ago. Our role is to open gallery doors to everyone, explain what an original print is, and encourage a wider culture of collecting.
The festival occupies atypical spaces — from the Rotonde Balzac to the Chapelle de la Salpêtrière, from the Louxor cinema to Studio Harcourt. Do these venues influence the artists’ creations?
The artists have complete freedom, with only one condition: that their work dialogues with the space. Nothing is random, and the venues are never treated as white cubes. At the Rotonde Balzac, Paolo Ventura references the author’s Night Walks; at the Salpêtrière, Julie Balagué explores the theme of pregnancy denial; at the Louxor, Sandra Guldemann Duchatellier presents An Egyptian Fable that echoes the cinema’s Egyptian-inspired architecture; Studio Harcourt hosts Antoine Schneck’s portraits; and at the École des Arts Joailliers, Juliette Agnel evokes the ‘susceptibility of stones’ in dialogue with Roger Caillois’ mineral collection.
Photo Days features new commissions each year. How do you choose the artists and locations, and how much space do you give to intuition or surprise?
It’s a bit like playing with Lego: I start by finding the spaces (which must be free, since the entire budget goes to production), and once I have the space, I think of the artist who would best fit. It’s a mix of intuition and research. Sometimes it’s the opposite: I discover an artist’s work and immediately think, ‘This would be perfect for that venue.’ That’s what happened this year with Julie Balagué at the Pitié-Salpêtrière and Sandra Guldemann at the Louxor. I met both of them during portfolio reviews in 2024. We then presented their projects to the venue directors, who embraced them. When it’s a carte blanche, like at the École des Arts Joailliers or the Rotonde Balzac, the surprise comes later — from the artists themselves.
With so many venues and exhibitions, it seems almost impossible to see everything. For someone visiting in a single day, what would your ideal itinerary be?
It’s impossible to see it all — but that’s not the goal. There’s something for everyone! There’s no ideal route because everyone has different interests: discovering historical photography or the emerging scene, learning, collecting, meeting artists or curators… Whatever your focus, you’ll find something that resonates. And everything is free!
You’ve often emphasized parity and the importance of the French scene. The festival has remained 75% female over five years. Is this a deliberate choice or a natural reflection of today’s photography landscape?
It’s all three — a choice, a necessity, and a desire. The French scene and women photographers need our support, so we’re here. I still have that sense of public service, of collective purpose — something inherent in my 20 years as a museum curator. I see this as my mission, and I do it naturally, without even thinking about it.
Mediation — portfolio reviews, guided tours, artist meetings — seems central to Photo Days. How does this help renew the connection between artists and audiences?
Mediation is the glue that binds us to the artists. Without dialogue or shared experiences, everything remains abstract. People could stay behind their screens looking at images, but they’d miss the physical experience of walking through an exhibition, of seeing the difference between a reproduction and an original print. That’s essential in photography. And nothing replaces a conversation with an artist — it’s always more enriching than a wall text. It’s alive.
Photo Days also emphasizes sustainable production — short supply chains, reusing materials, recycling. Does this change the way exhibitions are made today?
Absolutely. We think in terms of short circuits, reuse, and collaboration. I was in Korea this year for the Daegu Biennale, and we either produced the works locally (which is easy in photography) or shipped the originals unframed or rolled up to reduce transportation impact.
After this sixth edition, what future do you imagine for Photo Days — in Paris and beyond?
We love to see our exhibitions travel once they’ve been produced. Last year, Juliette Agnel’s show at the Carrousel du Louvre was presented in Nîmes for the Costières de l’art; Caroline Bourdelas’s exhibition at the Rotonde Balzac also traveled; and Letizia Le Fur’s show is next. It’s wonderful for the artists, and we’re always happy to lend, as long as the artists are paid, of course. As for developing Photo Days elsewhere — that’s not on the agenda yet.
The Photo Days Festival runs in Paris from November 3 to 30, 2025. More information about exhibitions and venues can be found on the festival’s official website.
