2026 Biennial
In the Interest of Time
Bringing together seven regional artists whose practices engage with the concept of time, In the Interest of Time was developed through a FotoFocus juried open call, led by independent curator Theresa Bembnister.
Joseph Vitone and Lynn Whitney document their subjects over extended periods of time. In 1998, Vitone began photographing relatives around his hometown of Akron, OH, which evolved into a series of intimate portraits recording nearly three decades of life transitions: birthdays, divorces, illnesses, children growing up to become parents themselves. Whitney photographed the shoreline of Lake Erie stretching between Cleveland and Toledo for more than a decade. Her work captures humanity’s complex relationship to this priceless natural resource.
For the series 1655 Ireland Rd., Jordanne Renner mailed prints of her family home to her father and stepmother, who added their observations to the photographs with markers and Post-its. Twenty-three years later, Renner revisits the work, inviting her brother and father to respond to the images following her stepmother’s passing, reflecting on the passing of time and loss.
Julie Renée Jones’ work in Hold Still marks a time of transition—a new mother’s psychological shift in identity—using visual characteristics of the horror genre, such as deep shadows and stark camera angles.
Robyn Moore’s Being in the Land functions as a visual metaphor for deep time, the temporal framework for slow-moving geological change. Spectral figures appear in her compositions, alluding to the ancient history of the surrounding landscapes.
Elijah Howe preserves a timeworn historical subject—the small town of Chained Rock, KY—through a trove of archival materials, handmade crafts, and contemporary photographs. A close look, however, may lead viewers to question their assumptions of photographic truth.
Through his series Witness Trees and Indelible Structures, Osamu James Nakagawa documents land once used as Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II. This work visually preserves physical histories at risk of being otherwise lost to time.
Artists: Elijah Howe, Julie Renée Jones, Robyn Moore, Osamu James Nakagawa, Jordanne Renner, Joseph Vitone, Lynn Whitney
Lynn Whitney, Huron Boy, Huron, 2014. Gelatin silver print, 20 × 24 inches. Courtesy of the aritst
Elijah Howe, Chained Rock Liquor, 2024. Archival inkjet print, 24 × 20 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Julie Renée Jones, Stirring, 2021. Archival pigment print, 26 × 20 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Jordanne Renner, 1655 Ireland Rd (13), c. 2003. C-41 print from 6 × 6 inch color film with Post-it notes and pen, 23 × 23 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Osamu James Nakagawa, Manzanar 03, Manzanar, California, from Witness Trees, 2022/23. Archival inkjet print, 37 x 37 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Joseph Vitone, Marjorie Angel in pink sweater with pink rose bush, 2009. Archival inkjet print, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Robyn Moore, Being in the Land (Volcanic Field), 2024. Photopolymer gravure on Hahnemühle Etching paper, 12 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the artist
2026 Biennial
Venue Details
Contemporary Arts Center
44 E Sixth St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 345-8400
Thur & Fri 10am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am–4pm
Free for Pass Holders in October, venue members, children 18 and under, and SNAP/EBT recipients. General admission: $12
Nearby Venues
#FotoFocus #TheLongView #FotoFocus2026