The exhibition Believing the Image will take place within the national programme marking 200 years of photography in France and will consider one of photography’s enduring questions: when we look at a photograph, are we seeing reality itself — or only an image that convinces us to believe in it? A photograph may appear to show us reality directly. We often trust what we see in it, even when we know that every image is framed, selected, constructed, manipulated, or removed from its original context. Photography does not simply show reality; it constructs a relationship with it.

Believing the Image will explore the complex relationship between photography, reality, and belief. The exhibition will consider the photographic image not as a stable record of the world, but as something that frames, transforms, and shapes our perception of it.

We invite works that explore:

• the relationship between the photographic image and reality
• the tension between what is seen and what is believed
• staging, manipulation, and constructed images
• the boundaries between documentary and fiction
• what remains outside the frame
• illusion, perception, and visual ambiguity
• the changing meaning of photographic images
• the role of the viewer in interpreting and believing an image.

Rather than asking whether an image is simply true or false, we are interested in works that explore the distance between what a photograph shows and what we believe it shows.

We are particularly interested in works that question the authority of the photographic image, complicate our relationship with visual evidence, or reveal how images can persuade, mislead, construct, and transform our understanding of reality.

We welcome submissions in the following media and approaches:

• analogue and digital photography
• experimental photography
• photographic archives
• found photographs
• photographic installation
• photo-based mixed media

About the Exhibition

Believing the Image will take place in October 2026 at Zhen Yi Gallery, 17 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris, in the vibrant Marais district, with expected footfall from both local art audiences and international visitors.

Who Can Apply

We welcome international and local submissions from emerging and mid-career artists working with photography in its various forms.

About the Organisers

Zhen Yi Gallery, founded in 2025 by curator Evgeniya Makarshina (IESA graduate), is a nomadic, research-driven curatorial platform based in Paris.

Each exhibition is conceived as a project, building on previous iterations and contributing to a continuous conceptual development.

The gallery develops curatorial projects exploring perception, representation, and the relationship between the individual, the image, and contemporary conditions.

The founder actively engages with the international art community and has over 500 professional connections on LinkedIn.

What We Offer

• Exhibition in Paris
• Curatorial guidance and installation support
• Promotion on the gallery’s social media platforms
• Each participating artist will be featured on the gallery’s Instagram with a post introducing their artwork
• Instagram publications typically reach approximately 800–2,200 views
• Artists may be featured on the gallery’s website if they wish
• Certificates of participation
• Recommendation letters
• Networking and cross-cultural exchange
• 0% commission on artwork sales

Audience and Visibility

The gallery is located in the Marais district of Paris, one of the city’s main contemporary art destinations.

Visitor Attendance:

The exhibition opening (vernissage) typically attracts approximately 40–60 visitors, including artists, curators, collectors, and members of the public.

Visitor Profile:

The gallery audience includes artists, curators, collectors, art enthusiasts, and international visitors exploring the Marais gallery district.

Submission Terms

Exhibition participation fee (only if selected): £200 / €230.

This contribution supports exhibition production, installation, and gallery space expenses.

Delivery and return of artworks to/from Paris are the responsibility of the artist, unless the artist wishes to have the work printed and framed locally in Paris by the gallery at the artist’s expense.

Deadline: 30.09.2026

Zhen Yi Gallery

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