Erik Kessels The Portfolio Parade @MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas 2026 – ph. ZIMA Studio
A vibrant platform to engage with the next generation of international photographic talent
For the third consecutive year, renowned Dutch artist, curator, and visual storyteller Erik Kessels presents at MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas a dynamic side program dedicated to emerging voices in photography. Through an open call competition that attracted entries from across the globe, Kessels selected a broad and eclectic mix of unseen and boundary-pushing photographic portfolios.
These selected works were exposed in a playful, thought-provoking installation that breaks from traditional exhibition formats, inviting visitors to explore photography in new and unexpected ways. The installation presented during the 2026 edition of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas was created in collaboration with Fujifilm Italia, Sponsor of the Award. It showcased the portfolios of 56 artists who challenge traditional exhibition standards, all printed on Fujifilm paper.
With a particular focus on the art and collecting system, THE PORTFOLIO PARADE highlights the urgency of promoting new visions within an ever-evolving market. All selected portfolios were showcased with equal visibility in a dedicated exhibition space, offering artists the opportunity to engage with a broad and qualified audience.
The exhibition is organized in collaboration with FUJIFILM, Sponsor of the Award.
Collateral Awards Winners 2026:
Michal Baratz Koren (Israel) has been selected by Director Franco Carlisi for a portfolio publication in Gente di Fotografia. Her work is featured in the issue released concurrently with the fair.
Naguel Rivero (Argentina) has been awarded an artist residency at the SARP / Sicily Artist Residency Program in Linguaglossa (Catania).
We are also pleased to announce that Gente di Fotografia will dedicate a special feature in its October issue to the following artists: Zofia Dzialkowska, Poland | Violette Lorentzou, Great Britain | Charles Lu, Philippines | Sofia Mangini, Italy | Kamila Rustambekova, Uzbekistan – Netherlands | Tina Sturzenegger, Switzerland | Elena Zottola, Italy
WINNING ARTISTS
PHOTO: ISABELLA DE MADDALENA
ERIK KESSELS
Erik Kessels is a Dutch artist, curator and communication designer, with great interest in art and photography. Erik Kessels is since 1996 Creative Partner of communications agency Kessels Kramer.
As an artist and curator Kessels has published over 100 books of his ‘re-appropriated’ imagesand has written the international bestseller Failed It! andComplete Amateur.
He has taught at several Art Academies (Amsterdam, Milan, Toronto, Lausanne, Düsseldorf).Kessels made and curated exhibitions such as Loving Your Pictures, Mother Nature, 24HRS in Photos, Album Beauty and Unfinished Father. Currently he’s working on a long-term European art project called Europe Archive.
In 2010 Kessels was awarded with the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts, in 2016 nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. Until 2022 his mid-career retrospective is shown in Turin, Düsseldorf and Budapestand he exhibited recently in the SFMOMA. He was called “a visual sorcerer” by Time Magazine and a “Modern Anthropologist” by Vogue (Italia).
