Tangier Celebrates the Image

This summer, Tangier enriches its cultural landscape with a major new event: Photo Tanger 2026, the inaugural edition of the International Festival of the Image. From 17th June to 31st August 2026, the city becomes the setting for a vast artistic programme.

Conceived by writer Tahar Ben Jelloun and art critic Brahim Alaoui, the festival stems from a simple observation: despite its extraordinary cultural richness, cosmopolitan history and enduring power of inspiration, Tangier had yet to host a major event dedicated to the image that truly reflects its international influence.

A World City of Photography

Tangier’s role as the host city is no coincidence. From the late nineteenth century onwards, it became an essential destination for travelling photographers fascinated by Morocco. Thanks to its international status, the city attracted writers, painters and artists from around the world, giving rise to a unique visual heritage shaped by photographic studios, family albums and Orientalist perspectives.

The festival also recalls that in 1901, photographer, filmmaker and explorer Gabriel Veyre was invited by Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz to teach him photography and cinema, making the sovereign one of the first Moroccans to practise these arts. Morocco thus entered into dialogue with the new languages of image making and modernity at a remarkably early stage.

Today, Photo Tanger extends this legacy through its theme, “The Call of the Open Sea”, which explores not only travel, but also questions of memory, identity and elsewhere.

A Constellation of Exhibitions

Galleries, museums, bookshops, the marina, public spaces and heritage sites will host an exceptionally ambitious programme. Among the highlights, the exhibition “Tangier, Why Tangier?” revisits nearly one hundred and fifty years of photography connected to the city, featuring works by Cecil Beaton, Harry Gruyaert and Mounir Fatmi.

The festival also brings together leading figures in contemporary photography, including Leila Alaoui, Youssef Nabil, Hicham Benohoud, Daoud Aoulad Syad and Isabel Muñoz. A major exhibition dedicated to Moroccan photographers across the world explores questions of mobility, identity and belonging through a younger generation of artists whose lives and practices span multiple geographies.

A City Wide Photographic Trail

Photo Tanger unfolds across the entire city. Visitors can move from a gallery tucked away in the historic streets to a monumental exhibition overlooking the marina, before continuing on to Tangier’s bookshops for encounters and conversations with photographers.

Beyond the exhibitions, the festival offers screenings, debates, talks and photography competitions, reflecting its ambition to become a platform for reflection as much as an artistic event.

In a city that has long inspired artists and travellers from around the world, Photo Tanger is already establishing itself as one of the most promising cultural events of the summer.

Exhibitions Not to Be Missed

Fondation pour la Photographie: Tangier: Why Tangier?, featuring Cecil Beaton, Harry Gruyaert and Mounir Fatmi.
Galerie Mohamed Drissi: The Call of the Open Sea, featuring Leila Alaoui, Mohamed El Baz, Youssef Nabil and Yoriyas; and Dialogue inattendu, featuring Hicham Benohoud and Denis Darzacq.
Tanja Marina Bay: Waiting for Magellan, by Khalil Nemmaoui, and Carte blanche to Yoriyas .
Galerie Kent: A Future Between Shores, featuring Meriem Bouderbala, Amina Benbouchta, Zoulikha Bouabdellah and Fadia Ahmad.
Galerie Dar D’Art: Rachid Ouettassi, The Surveyor.
Institut Français de Tanger: Daoud Aoulad Syad.
Instituto Cervantes de Tanger: Isabel Muñoz.
Villa Harris: Perspectives from Moroccan Photographers Around the World, featuring Mounir Fatmi, Mustapha Azeroual and Yasmine Hatimi.
Palais des Arts et de la Culture: Slow Up – Ralentir, by Brahim Benkirane and Alexandre Chaplier.