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Seen Before, Seen Again: Philippine Photography Across Time articulates photography as a practice of sustained inquiry, one that revisits images, places, and histories rather than glossing over or replacing them. The title reflects this edition’s core methodology of pairing historical photographs with contemporary responses, foregrounding photography’s dual role as witness and interpreter across time.
In the Philippine context, where photographic history is dispersed across family albums, vernacular archives, and institutional collections, the act of “seeing again” becomes a critical gesture that reactivates memory and reveals social, environmental, and cultural change.
As the world celebrates the first 200 years of this medium we call photography, it is a moment to reflect on shared histories: on photography’s deep affinity with time, and its power to mediate — even transform — our understanding of reality.
For its fourth edition, Fotomoto frames repetition, duration, and re-examination as acts of reckoning, affirming the medium’s capacity to connect past and present while remaining open to reinterpretation in the future.
Fotomoto Open Call invites participants to create a meaningful dialogue between the past and the present through photography. Submissions must consist of images reflecting time, memory, and change.
OFFICIAL RECOGNITION
FotomotoPH is honored to announce that it has been awarded the official Bicentennial of Photography label, recognizing our contribution to the international celebration of the Bicentennial of Photography (2026–2027) organized by the French Ministry of Culture.
As part of this distinction, Seen Before, Seen Again, Fotomoto’s 2026–2027 Open Call, together with our flagship exhibitions, educational programs, workshops, and community initiatives presented from September 2026 through September 2027, will be officially accredited as part of this worldwide commemoration.
This recognition affirms our commitment to nurturing the photographic arts in the Philippines, amplifying diverse Filipino perspectives, and expanding visual literacy through vital partnerships. We are proud to stand with cultural institutions and creative communities across more than thirty nations in celebrating 200 years of photography—honoring its transformative history while championing the voices shaping its future.
