Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie 2026

The Darmstadt Photography Days will once again be presented as a compact festival with an international focus in 2026. Under the theme Present tense, the successful concept will be continued: an intensive opening weekend with vernissages, a symposium, artist talks and the award ceremony for the Merck Prize, worth €10,000, will create space for rich content and personal encounters.

From 24 April to 3 May 2026, around 40 to 50 national and international artists will be on display in around eight exhibitions. The Merck Prize will be presented at the Museum Künstlerkolonie on the Mathildenhöhe and will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026.

Renowned institutions such as the Kunstforum of TU Darmstadt, Designhaus, the Stadtkirche, and Atelierhaus Vahle are participating as cooperation partners with additional invited positions. The international symposium and the dialogue exhibition at the Faculty of Design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences remain integral parts of the festival.

As part of DTdF goes WDC2026, an Artist-in-Residence programme at Atelierhaus LEW1 is also planned.

Overview of all exhibitions in the participating institutions:

Museum Künstlerkolonie, Mathildenhöhe
“10th Merck Prize of the Darmstadt Days of Photography”
24 April – 3 May 2026
General information about the Merck Prize
Application via the platform Picter.com
24 April 2026 – from 6 pm: Opening and award ceremony
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 11 am – 6 pm

h_da, Faculty of Design Foyer
“Present Tense. Attitudes Towards the Present”
25 April 2026 // 10 am – 6 pm
Information via h_da Faculty of Design

Protestant City Church Darmstadt
“Photon Trails and Paragraphs – What Remains of Political Events in the Long Exposure Photography of Angelika Kohlmeier”
by invitation of Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie e.V.
April – 30 May 2026
Opening hours: Tue–Fri 10 am – 4 pm, Sat 10 am – 12 pm
April 2026 – 11:30 am: Opening
Information via DTdF Support Association

Designhaus
art photo salon
mid-April – end of May
Information via art photo salon

Kunstforum der TU
Annegret Soltau – FATHERSUCHE (Search for the Father)
January – June 2026
Information via Kunstforum der TU
A project within the framework of WDC 2026

Justus-Liebig-Haus
Youth Photography Prize of the Darmstadt Photo Club
Information via Youth Photography Competition
A project within the framework of WDC 2026

Atelierhaus Vahle
Archive Inge Vahle + Contemporary Positions
Information via Atelierhaus Vahle

Atelierhaus LEW1
Artist-in-Residence: Swaantje Güntzel
Information via Kultur einer Digitalstadt
24 April – 3 May 2026
Opening hours: Tue–Fri 2 pm – 6 pm, Sat/Sun 10 am – 12 pm
A project within the framework of WDC 2026: Re-Negotiating Space: Instrumente zur Neuverhandlung urbaner Räume zwischen Mensch und Natur.

HLMD (Hessian State Museum Darmstadt)
Bryan Adams
Information via Hessisches Landesmuseum

G10 Project Space
TBA
Information via G10 or Instagram
A project within the framework of WDC 2026