First held in 2005 as a regional exhibition, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale has become one of Australia’s pre-eminent photographic arts events. Held every two years on Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Victoria, the Biennale has evolved into a 60-day festival presented across the regional city of Ballarat. It showcases work from domestic and international photographic artists that is new or previously unseen in Australia and provides opportunities for new and emerging Australian artists to exhibit their work. Attracting local, national, and international audiences, the Ballarat International Foto Biennale has established itself as a marque event in Australia’s cultural landscape.

In 2023, Ballarat International Foto Biennale celebrates its 10^th anniversary running 26 August to 22 October.

Come and see “The Real Thing”

Adjust your eyes and open your mind to what is real in a 24/7 contemporary world of shutter speed, live streaming, and digital algorithms.

The Real Thing surveys powerful portraits, surreal landscapes, optical illusion, and social document.  It is a journey into perspective, power and play and how we build common stories in a noisy world of media. The 2023 festival program explores the role of the artist in shaping our reality, are they magicians of the lens, documenters, or imaginers of our present, past and future points of view. Is it truth as we see it or as we make it?

The Real Thing is a journey through images from studios to street photography, surreal landscapes to the influencers of social media. It looks at the nature of photography as real or trickery, document or fantasy, and questions how distance and intimacy can influence the way we connect stories to create our view of modern life.

The 2023 Festival will explore these ideas in the formal and informal spaces of Ballarat using gallery spaces, laneways, natural landscapes, city streets, businesses and historical buildings to showcase works.

The Real Thing is a chance to reflect on how we consume images, question what we see and how they stretch or contract our point of view in a diverse and changing world.

The 10^th Ballarat International Foto Biennale runs 26 August to 22 October 2023.

Core Program
Experience a curated Core Program of exhibitions showcasing works from domestic and international artists that are new and previously unseen in Australia

Open Program
Immerse yourself in the Open Program that fosters the development of new artists with exhibitions in local businesses

Public Program
Dive into the Education Program, attend artist talks, workshops, masterclasses, symposia and prizes