The 15th annual Photoville festival in New York showcases over 90 photographic exhibits from around the world, blending whimsy with powerful reportage. Co-founder Sam Barzilay highlights the exhibit Old Apples, celebrating the uniqueness of apples in nature.
This year's festival includes diverse themes, from cumbia music and global soccer to fox sanctuaries, alongside hard-hitting topics like wildfires in the western US, racial inequalities in water access, and the impact of ICE on communities.
Trans Lives Through the Lens
In response to political efforts to erase transgender realities, Photoville presents two exhibits affirming trans existence. Special Girls features 1990s photos by Remsen Wolff, capturing trans women, crossdressers, and drag queens. Archivist Jochem Brouwer, fulfilling a promise to Wolff, showcases these vibrant images. "He really looked at people as individuals," Brouwer said.
Point of View pairs self-portraits by Dutch college students exploring gender with art from the Rijksmuseum. Barzilay hopes visitors feel free to explore gender identity and normalize trans lives. "We're still litigating a thing that people have already resolved," he noted.
Family Separation and Prison Programs
Lexi Parra's The Avillas documents a family after the matriarch self-deports amid anti-immigrant threats. The photos offer a difficult reminder of family separation. "It's looking at their lives today as they try to figure out what to do next," Barzilay said.
Puppies Behind Bars by Ashley Gilbertson and Ava Pellor captures a program at Green Haven prison where inmates raise puppies to become service dogs. Founder Gloria Gilbert Stoga sought a war photographer to document the extreme prison environment. Gilbertson, known for Iraq war photos, and Pellor, who has covered wildfires and border crossings, reveal how raising dogs transforms inmates. "The dogs humanize an environment devoid of humanity," Gilbertson said. Pellor recalled an inmate crying as he held his puppy for the first time.
Sweetgrass and Cultural Heritage
Whitney Snow's The Women's Grass documents the Blackfeet Nation's relationship with sweetgrass, used in ceremonies and medicine. Snow consulted elders to avoid exploitation. "I wanted someone to feel something, and to feel good," she said, aiming for calm and connection to nature. Her meditative images convey the sacredness of sweetgrass and the emotions of harvesting.
Throughout Photoville, themes of joy and humanity emerge. As Barzilay said, "So many proposals were moments of joy. You look at it and you just feel better." Photoville is on display at Brooklyn Bridge Park and other New York locations from 16-30 May.
