Photography Hub Rotterdam
At the end of March, Rotterdam briefly turns into an exciting hub for photography. Across three locations, visitors can experience just how broad and dynamic the medium is today: with Unseen Photo as part of Art Rotterdam, the Unseen Book Market in the newly reopened Nederlands Fotomuseum and the photography festival Rotterdam Photo at Deliplein. Together, they form an engaging route across three distinct contexts, appealing to everyone interested in photography, from collectors and professionals to curious visitors.
Within Art Rotterdam (27 to 29 March), Unseen Photo presents an international programme featuring both established names and upcoming talent. Photography is fully integrated into the fair and forms part of the wider presentation spanning no less than 14,000 m² at Rotterdam Ahoy. Alongside the Main Section and the Solo/Duo programme, Unseen Photo includes several curated sections. Visitors come across new work by contemporary photographers in the New Photography section. In the Encounters section, curator Domenico de Chirico explores how photography can intersect with other disciplines. In The Past Present, photography historian Hedy van Erp focuses on analogue photography up to the year 2000, with particular attention to rediscovered archives and found images that acquire new meanings through contemporary interventions.
Running parallel to the fair, the Unseen Book Market takes place at the recently reopened Nederlands Fotomuseum in Pakhuis Santos. From 26 to 29 March, 35 publishers will present a wide range of photo books and publications here. During these days, the ground floor of the museum will become a meeting place for publishers, artists and lovers of the photo book. Entry to the book market is free. Please note that it may be busy and that a queue may form. If you would also like to visit the exhibitions at the Nederlands Fotomuseum, a regular museum ticket is required.
At the same time, Rotterdam Photo takes place at Deliplein in Katendrecht from 25 to 29 March. This international photography festival presents more than thirty photographers from around the world in an informal setting: an open container village. The 2026 edition, 'Echoes of Silence – War in the Artist’s Soul', explores how conflict and tension resonate within personal narratives, memory and migration. Rather than documenting violence directly, the focus lies on the inner reverberations of conflict: photography as a reflection on what war and unrest leave behind in the individual. As part of the programme, visitors will also encounter a series of curated exhibitions featuring artists such as Caroline Monnet (Canada), Diego Moreno (Mexico/Switzerland), Hashim Nasr (Sudan/Egypt) and Otto Snoek (Rotterdam). Rotterdam Photo also offers a programme of Photo Talks, panel discussions, live music and opportunities to meet the artists.
Practical information
Unseen Photo at Art Rotterdam
Friday 27 March – Sunday 29 March: 11.00 – 19.00
Address: Rotterdam Ahoy, Ahoyweg 10, Rotterdam
Tickets: €22.50 (with discounts for students, an off-peak ticket for €16.50 and free entry for children up to 12)
Unseen Book Market at the Nederlands Fotomuseum
Thursday 26 March: 11.00 – 21.00
Friday 27 March – Sunday 29 March: 11.00 – 17.00
Address: Pakhuis Santos, Brede Hilledijk 95, Rotterdam
Tickets: €17.50 (with discounts for, among others, CJP cardholders and free entry for holders of, among others, a Museumkaart)
Rotterdam Photo
Wednesday 25 March: 18.00 – 22.00
Thursday 26 March: 11.00 – 18.00
Friday 27 March: 11.00 – 18.00
Saturday 28 March: 11.00 – 20.00
Sunday 29 March: 11.00 – 18.00
Address: Deliplein, Rotterdam
Tickets: €6.50 (with discounts for, among others, Rotterdampas holders and groups)
