Name: Fotosommer Stuttgart — UNORDNUNG 2026
Start: 2026-07-17T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-13T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY) — Hauptspielort

Fotosommer Stuttgart

About Fotosommer Stuttgart

From July 17 to September 13, 2026, Fotosommer Stuttgart will take place with the main exhibition 'UNORDNUNG' at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY). Festival focus: July 17–26, 2026, with an opening reception, artist talks, and supporting program. The main exhibition is extended until September 13, 2026. Works by around 20 artists, selected by an international jury — the theme 'UNORDNUNG' addresses the dissolution of existing orders between loss and gain. Main venue: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30-32. Opening hours Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Dates 17 Jul — 13 Sep 2026

Venue Stuttgart (08111)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Fotosommer Stuttgart — edition 2026

Fotosommer Stuttgart 2026 runs with the main exhibition 'UNORDNUNG' at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart from July 17 to September 13, 2026. Festival week with opening receptions, artist talks, and supporting program from July 17–26. Main exhibition extended until September 13. Works by around 20 artists, curated by an international jury. Main venue: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY). Opening hours Tue–Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Dissolution of Existing Orders

The 2026 edition is dedicated to the theme 'UNORDNUNG' (Disorder) — the question of how the dissolution of existing orders becomes photographically tangible today. Around 20 selected artists reflect on the thesis between documentary rigor and conceptual openness. The festival week in mid-July bundles the central program points; the main exhibition is extended until mid-September, allowing time for visits during the summer holidays.

Current program details available at fotosommer-stuttgart.de and staatsgalerie.de.

Highlights Fotosommer Stuttgart 2026

2026 Theme: 'UNORDNUNG' — Dissolution of orders between loss and gain
Main exhibition at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY)
Around 20 artists, selected by an international jury
Festival week July 17–26 with opening reception and supporting program
Main exhibition until September 13, 2026
Stuttgart as a city of photography in summer harmony

Programme Fotosommer Stuttgart 2026

Festival focus July 17–26, 2026 with:

Opening reception of the main exhibition
Artist talks
Curated guided tours
Lectures on contemporary photography
Supporting program at partner venues

Main exhibition extended until September 13, 2026, at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY).

Prices Fotosommer Stuttgart 2026

Admission to the Staatsgalerie is subject to the museum's tariffs. Discounts available for students, pupils, and seniors. Detailed prices and special offers for Fotosommer on staatsgalerie.de.

Practical information

Practical information — Fotosommer Stuttgart

Getting There

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30-32, 70173 Stuttgart. Take the S-Bahn to the main station, then a 5-minute walk or take the U-Bahn lines U9/U14 (Staatsgalerie).

Opening Hours

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

Festival Focus

July 17–26, 2026, with opening receptions, artist talks, lectures, and supporting program. Main exhibition runs until September 13, 2026.

Admission

Admission to the Staatsgalerie and Fotosommer is subject to the Staatsgalerie's tariffs. Discounts available for students, pupils, and seniors. Detailed prices on staatsgalerie.de.

Fotosommer Stuttgart — Stuttgart's Photography Festival

Fotosommer Stuttgart is one of the most important photography festivals in Southern Germany and is organized in cooperation with the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart as the central venue. Each year, an international jury selects around 20 contemporary photographers who work on an annual theme. The results are presented in a curated exhibition, supplemented by artist talks, lectures, workshops, and a supporting program.

UNORDNUNG — The 2026 Theme

The theme for 2026 is 'UNORDNUNG' (Disorder). The festival organizers formulate the curatorial question as follows: To what extent can the dissolution of existing orders be experienced as loss or gain? In a time when political, ecological, social, and aesthetic orders are reorganizing themselves, the question is as theoretical as it is practical — and a fertile ground for photography as a medium that always structures reality and shows its fractures.

What You'll Experience

The main exhibition at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (THE GÄLLERY) features works by around 20 artists — documentary photography, conceptual works, installations, mixed media. The selection is made by a top-class international jury from an open application process. During the festival week (July 17–26), there will be opening receptions, artist talks, lectures, and guided tours. The exhibition continues until September 13.

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart as a Venue

The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart is one of Germany's most significant art museums — a institution with a collection spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day, housed in a historic building (Gottlob Georg Barth, 1843) and the New Staatsgalerie building (James Stirling, 1984). In the THE GÄLLERY section, it offers its own platform for contemporary art — a constellation that the festival utilizes ideally: photography as contemporary art, in Württemberg's most prominent art museum.

Stuttgart as a City of Photography

Stuttgart has a strong photography tradition — the State Academy of Fine Arts has a renowned photography class, the Haus der Wirtschaft hosted photo exhibitions for years, and the Württembergische Landesbibliothek maintains an important photographic collection. Fotosommer makes this tradition publicly visible and connects it with international contemporary photography.