2026 Biennial
Waiting to Be Seen
Waiting to be Seen pays tribute to the charged, chaotic, and deeply human theater of street life. Inspired by the spirit of Diane Arbus, the exhibition features street photography and photojournalism that documents drag performers, queer communities, clowns, bodybuilders, and everyday passersby in moments of unfiltered presence.
From the defiant joy of a sidewalk voguing battle to the quiet intimacy of public rituals, these images capture the unscripted drama of urban life. The work blurs the line between art and reportage, suggesting viewers see the street not just as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing character.
Artists: Maureen France, Melvin Grier, Tim Harrier, Maurice Mattei, William Messer, Robby Parsons, Ave Pildas, Rachel Rampleman, Brad Smith, Michael Wilson, Matthew Zory
Related Events
Waiting to be Seen Opening Reception
October 8, 2026
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Opening Reception with food and drinks while exploring the exhibition, Waiting to be Seen.Â
Additional Information: Gallery is wheelchair accessible.
Waiting to be Seen Artist Talk
October 17, 2026
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Waiting to Be Seen Artist Talk with Maureen France, Melvin Grier, Tim Harrier, Maurice Matti, William Messer, Robbie Parson, Ave Pildas, Rachel Rampleman, Brad Smith, Michael Wilson, and Matthew Zory.
Additional Information: Gallery is wheelchair accessible.
Film Screening at the Mariemont Theater
October 22, 2026
6:00pm – 9:30pm
Film screening of Ave’s America (2023) and Life is a Drag (2009) followed by a Q&A with Waiting to be Seen artists Ave Pildas and Rachel Rampleman.
Additional Information: This event will take place at Mariemont Theater, which is wheelchair accessible.
Cincinnati Spotlight Weekend
October 30, 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, 10/30
- Artist Talk: Marzena Abrahamik, 5pm. BasketShop
- Talk with King Records export Brian Powers, 5:30pm. MOTR Pub
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 7pm. The Lodge KY
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller, 7pm. DAAP Library
Saturday, 10/31
- Cincinnati Bus Tour, 8:30am–4:15pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 1pm. Studio Kroner
- Walk-Through Listening and Taste Experience, 1pm. Here and Now
Sunday, 11/1
- In-Depth Multisensory Gallery Walk-Through and Artist Q&A, 12pm. Here and Now
- Reception and Curator’s Talk with William Messer, 5pm. Iris BookCafe and Gallery
Cincinnati Spotlight Weekend
October 31, 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, 10/30
- Artist Talk: Marzena Abrahamik, 5pm. BasketShop
- Talk with King Records export Brian Powers, 5:30pm. MOTR Pub
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 7pm. The Lodge KY
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller, 7pm. DAAP Library
Saturday, 10/31
- Cincinnati Bus Tour, 8:30am–4:15pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 1pm. Studio Kroner
- Walk-Through Listening and Taste Experience, 1pm. Here and Now
Sunday, 11/1
- In-Depth Multisensory Gallery Walk-Through and Artist Q&A, 12pm. Here and Now
- Reception and Curator’s Talk with William Messer, 5pm. Iris BookCafe and Gallery
Cincinnati Bus Tour
October 31, 2026
8:30am – 4:30pm
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.
8:30am Meet at FotoFocus Center / Ziegler Garage
9:00am Kennedy Heights Arts Center
Cultural Ties. Celebrates Latin American culture through photography, mixed media, and short films, offering a multi-sensory exploration of place, history, and identity.
Gallery tour led by Mallory Feltz, Director of Exhibitions and Public Art. Artists and film curator Mary Leonard will be in attendance and will discuss their work.
10:00am Eisele Gallery
Waiting to Be Seen. A selection of street photography and photojournalism paying tribute to the diversity of urban life and to the lens-based artists who witness and capture it.
Gallery tour led by Sandy Eichert, curator, and/or David Smith, gallery owner.
10:45am Cincinnati Art Club
Contemporary Tintype Portraits and Altered Historic Images. Tintype portraits by Ricky Willis Tintypes and Blue Creek Tinworks celebrating the local photographic community alongside altered historic images from the Cincinnati Art Club archives.
Curatorial overview provided by Kip Eagen. Artists/studios may also be present to speak about the process and history of tintype photography.
11:30am Lunch @ Swell Art Cafe
12:15pm Wave Pool
Forgetting is Everywhere. Work by four artists exploring transformations both slow and sudden, unexpected but also predestined. Presented in conjunction with Swell.
Gallery tour led by curator Calcagno Cullen.
1:00pm Studio Kroner
Erika NJ Allen: Beneath All Distance. Investigates deep time, material memory, and humanity’s relationship to landscapes shaped by endurance and change through analog photography and ceramics.
Open gallery roaming and artist talk with Erika NJ Allen. Paul Kroner will also be on site.
1:45pm Art Academy of Cincinnati
Depth of Field. An open call highlighting student artists considering the present state of photography and its possible future directions.
Noel Bassam Mohammad Maghathe: Over Everything. Examines how memory is shaped, altered, and reconstructed through the act of retrieval, initiating a dialogue between longing, connection, and memory.
Untwined/Interwoven. Reflects on concepts of place and time, examining the ephemeral, impermanent, and fragmented nature of photography.
Accra Shepp: Bearing Witness. Presents three bodies of work—Occupying Wall Street, The Covid Journals, and The Islands of New York—that delve into subjects often overlooked or intentionally misconstrued.
Gallery talks led by Michael Hurst, Director of Exhibitions; Rachel Reisert, Head of Photography; and student curators.
3:00pm Taft Museum of ArtÂ
Edie McKee Harper: Modernist at Play. Over 100 works across a variety of media, including photography, demonstrate the artist’s distinctive modernist vision, highlighting her minimalist and often playful style.
Introduction by Curator Tamera Lenz Muente followed by a self-guided tour.
3:45pm Annex GalleryÂ
Juan-Sà González: I.T.I.N.E.R.A.T.I.O.N.S. Explores the boundary between documentary and fiction, reinterpreting reality as metaphor and calling attention to shared physical, ideological, and psychological landscapes.
Artist talk with Juan-Sà González. Jorge RodrÃguez Diez, Executive Director and Chief Curator, and Jens Rosenkrantz may also be on site.
Wrap-up by 4:15pm. Disperse/walk back to Ziegler Garage
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!
Cincinnati Spotlight Weekend
November 1, 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, 10/30
- Artist Talk: Marzena Abrahamik, 5pm. BasketShop
- Talk with King Records export Brian Powers, 5:30pm. MOTR Pub
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 7pm. The Lodge KY
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Theresa Leininger-Miller, 7pm. DAAP Library
Saturday, 10/31
- Cincinnati Bus Tour, 8:30am–4:15pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Artist Talk: Nikita Gross, 1pm. Studio Kroner
- Walk-Through Listening and Taste Experience, 1pm. Here and Now
Sunday, 11/1
- In-Depth Multisensory Gallery Walk-Through and Artist Q&A, 12pm. Here and Now
- Reception and Curator’s Talk with William Messer, 5pm. Iris BookCafe and Gallery
Michael Wilson, Guitar Player with Friends, Race Street, Cincinnati, September 1985, 1985. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the artist
Rachel Rampleman, Amygdala at SoMad's Mad Pride, 2025. Inkjet print, 63 × 42 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Robby Parsons, Mountain Man, 2016. Digital photograph printed on matte photographic paper, 14 x 11 inches. Courtesy of the Wetzel County Museum
2026 Biennial
Venue Details
Eisele Gallery
2838 Observatory Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 791-7717
Tue–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–4pm
Free to the Public
Nearby Venues
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