TRUTH
25 October - 16 November 2025
Maryam Saeedpoor, Angel Unveiled
Photo Oxford 2025 has come to a close. We hope that you were able to visit our exhibitions, attend our events and that you found the festival thought-provoking.
Thank you for being part of our community—we hope you feel that the festival exceeded your expectations. We would love to hear your thoughts on your experience. Please share your feedback here, keep an eye on this site and sign up for our Newsletters to stay connected, hear our news, and discover ways to get involved.
Photo Oxford, Oxford’s biennial photo festival, returned for its fifth edition in 2025. The theme for the festival was Truth and we explored what this increasingly loaded word means within the context of photography.
Questions about photography’s relationship with truth are as old as the history of the medium and they feel particularly relevant now. Photo Oxford 2025: Truth and Photography presented a series of exhibitions and events featuring artists exploring photography’s relationship to truth. From images that reveal current debates around Artificial Intelligence, to those that highlight the stories missing from photographic records, it was an exploration of truth in photography that considered how far and wide the boundaries of this continuously expanding medium have become.
Explore the links below for a taste of what the festival offered.
Jenny Lewis, Lydia Goldblatt and Festival Director Katy Barron in conversation at The Old Fire Station. Photo: Maggie Lamming
Marlene Smith talking about her work at Modern Art Oxford. Photo: Crystal Constance
Patricia Baker-Cassidy speaking about Paddy Summerfield's work at the Weston Library. Photo: David Stumpp
Joel Meyerowitz delivering the Richard Benson Lecture in the Reproduced Image at the Weston Library. Photo: Rob Judges
Photo Oxford 2025 Portfolio Reviews. Photo: Crystal Constance
Katy Barron and Jillian Edelstein at The North Wall Gallery. Photo: Paul Bullivant
Katy Barron and Olivia Arthur at Worcester College. Photo: Paul Bullivant
Martin Parr speaking at the festival launch at the Weston Library. Photo: Paul Bullivant
Martin Parr
1952–2025
It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of pioneering British photographer Martin Parr.
Martin spoke at the Weston Library on the opening day of Photo Oxford 2025 and exhibited his work Martin Parr: Oxford there as part of the Photo Oxford 2017.
Commissioned by the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University Press to photograph the University of Oxford, he captured the traditions, everyday life and eccentricities of the institution in his inimitable way.
He will be greatly missed.
Martin Parr speaking at the Photo Oxford 2025 launch at the Weston Library.
Photo: Paul Bullivant
Upcoming Photography Exhibitions in Oxford
Upcoming Photography Exhibitions in Oxford
Brutalist Imaginaries: Radical Architectures of Oxford and Paris
Maison Française d’Oxford
2-10 Norham Rd, Oxford OX2 6SE
19 January–14 March, 2026
Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
Entry is free and open to all
Wolfson College, Oxford. Photo by Photolanguage (Nigel Green & Robin Wilson)
PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS
PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS
Photo Oxford Festival works closely with communities across Oxford and Oxfordshire, using photography as a creative way for people to express themselves, build confidence, and learn new skills.
We collaborate with local partners such as Yellow Submarine, Aspire Oxford, Crisis, Mind Oxforshire and My Vision Oxfordshire to run welcoming workshops and projects that support people with a wide range of experiences and abilities. Together, we explore photography as a tool for storytelling, connection, and creativity — while also helping participants develop practical skills they can use in everyday life, from communication to teamwork and employability.
