2026 Biennial
Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography
The Meiji Period in Japan (1868–1912) brought great changes to Japanese culture and society. Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography brings to the foreground how these cultural beliefs, traditions, and practices may have been packaged for, and influenced by, Western audiences via the newly established tourist trade. Objects range from single photographs and postcards to albums, from albumen travel photographs to hanging scroll collotypes. The exhibition spotlights hand-colored prints depicting landscapes, cities, and portraits, including historical Japanese architecture, hairstyles, clothing, weapons, and even tattoos. The highly personal, and sometimes provocative, images prompt us to consider history, culture, and societal change.
The exhibition will include photographs from the studios of Ogawa Kazumasa, Kusakabe Kimbei, Tamamura Kozaburo, Suzuki Shinichi II, and Stillfried and Anderson, among others.
Related Events
Dayton Spotlight Weekend
October 16, 2026
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Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
Friday, 10/16
- None at this time. Check back later
Saturday, 10/17
- Dayton Bus Tour, 8am–5pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Narrative Photobook Workshop with Trent Davis Bailey, 1pm. Rosewood Arts Center
- Artist Talk: Dan Cleary, 1pm. Dayton Society of Artists
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Mariah Postlewait, 1:30pm. Dayton Art Institute
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- Artist Talk and Reception for Darshan, 4pm. University of Dayton: Roger Glass Center for the Arts
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Dayton Spotlight Weekend
October 17, 2026
–
Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
Friday, 10/16
- None at this time. Check back later
Saturday, 10/17
- Dayton Bus Tour, 8am–5pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Narrative Photobook Workshop with Trent Davis Bailey, 1pm. Rosewood Arts Center
- Artist Talk: Dan Cleary, 1pm. Dayton Society of Artists
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Mariah Postlewait, 1:30pm. Dayton Art Institute
- Artist Talk: Stacy Kranitz in Conversation with Andrew Milward, 2pm. The Contemporary Dayton
- Artist Talk and Reception for Darshan, 4pm. University of Dayton: Roger Glass Center for the Arts
- Reception and Artist Talk with Trent Davis Bailey, 5pm. Rosewood Arts Center
Sunday, 10/18
- None at this time. Check back later
Dayton Bus Tour
October 17, 2026
8:00am – 7:30pm
Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
To RSVP, please email pass@fotofocus.org. Seating is limited. Biennial Pass required.
8:00am Meet at FotoFocus Center / Ziegler Garage
8:30am Depart Cincinnati
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Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography. Captures Japan’s Meiji period through postcards, albums, albumen travel photographs, and hanging scroll collotypes, reflecting on social transformation and Western influences.
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7:15pm Arrive in Cincinnati
Access to the entire FotoFocus Biennial Program is only one benefit of being a FotoFocus 2022 Biennial Passport holder. GET THE PASSPORT for free entry and exclusive events!
Dayton Spotlight Weekend
October 18, 2026
–
Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
Friday, 10/16
- None at this time. Check back later
Saturday, 10/17
- Dayton Bus Tour, 8am–5pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Narrative Photobook Workshop with Trent Davis Bailey, 1pm. Rosewood Arts Center
- Artist Talk: Dan Cleary, 1pm. Dayton Society of Artists
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Mariah Postlewait, 1:30pm. Dayton Art Institute
- Artist Talk: Stacy Kranitz in Conversation with Andrew Milward, 2pm. The Contemporary Dayton
- Artist Talk and Reception for Darshan, 4pm. University of Dayton: Roger Glass Center for the Arts
- Reception and Artist Talk with Trent Davis Bailey, 5pm. Rosewood Arts Center
Sunday, 10/18
- None at this time. Check back later
Gallery Talk with Looking for Japan Curators Peter Doebler and Mariah Postlewait
October 22, 2026
6:30pm – 7:00pm
Join curators Dr. Peter Doebler and Dr. Mariah Postlewait for a gallery talk on the DAI exhibition Looking for Japan: Early Japanese Photography.
Additional Information: Elevators and wheelchairs available on site. Contact Guest Services at (937) 223-4278 with questions or requests.
Unknown artist, Untitled, c. 1890. Hand-colored albumen print, 13¾ × 10¾ inches. Dayton Art Institute, gift of Mrs. Frank J. Parker, 1944.27. Courtesy of the Dayton Art Institute
Ogawa Kazumasa, Chrystanthemum, c. 1896. Color collotype, 157/16 × 11⅛ inches. Dayton Art Institute, transfer from Library to Museum Collection, 2022.41. Courtesy of the Dayton Art Institute
Unknown artist, Untitled, c. 1890. Hand-colored albumen print, 10¾ × 13¾ inches. Dayton Art Institute, gift of Mrs. Frank J. Parker, 1944.27. Courtesy of the Dayton Art Institute
2026 Biennial
Venue Details
Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North
Dayton, OH 45405
(937) 223-4278
Wed, Fri & Sat 11am–5pm, Thur 11am–8pm, Sun Noon–5pm
Free to Pass Holders in October, venue members, and children 6 and under. General admission: $15 adults; $10 seniors and active military; $5 college students and children 7–17
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