The ninth edition of the Fototriennale in Hamburg, curated by Mark Sealy, opens across eleven institutions under the theme "Alliance. Infinity. Love." The exhibition explores alliances, love, and the future of photography, featuring works such as Arlene Gottfried's moving series "Midnight" (1984–2002) documenting a New York performer, Rotimi Fani-Kayode's surrealist photographs from the AIDS crisis, and Eikō Hosoe's experimental series "Killed by Roses" (1961/62) depicting Yukio Mishima. Sealy, director of Autograph in London, positions empathy as a political force, challenging the instrumentalization of art for social cohesion.
The triennale matters because it reframes photography as a tool for confronting societal contradictions rather than smoothing them over. By connecting eleven Hamburg institutions in a city-wide parcours, Sealy emphasizes collaboration and difference, offering a progressive model for large-scale exhibitions. The show's focus on marginalized figures and decolonial perspectives, rooted in Sealy's expertise as author of "Decolonizing the Camera," makes it a significant contribution to contemporary debates about art, identity, and community.