02/08/2026
After our BPM Book Week 2026 edition, let's continue with some news about photobooks and Belgrade Photo Month.
This summer, like the last X summers, we have been in Arles... and Arles, just like life, keeps bringing beautiful surprises.
It was Friday, 10th July. I decided not to go to the theatre for the awards ceremony because I wanted to enjoy the football match. Spain was playing against Belgium... and yes, we won!
As I already knew I wasn't going, and since my friend Milena from Belgrade was there for the first time, I gave my ticket to her... and what a surprise... At 22:19 I received a message: "This guy greets you :). You reviewed his portfolio." The message came with a photo attached.
Well, the point is that Otto Hainzl, a great person and photographer from Austria, who was part of BPM thanks to the support of the Austrijski kulturni forum Beograd with his project Europastrasse E75, and after Belgrade, we travelled the route again and the project was exhibited in a couple of other places... Well, that night he won the award for Best Dummy with that very project.
Congratulations, Otto!!! And thanks for mentioning Belgrade Photo Month in front of such an audience. And yes... I first saw his work while doing portfolio reviews in Arles.
https://www.ottohainzl.at/en/projects/europastrasse/
But that wasn't all.
Two years ago, when we were almost ready for BPM Book Week, one of our photographers, Dasha Karetnikova, showed me her dummy, almost ready to become a book. I suggested that she apply for our Portfolio Review because, with publishers on the reviewers tean, it was a perfect opportunity for her.
That year, the team from Fotohof - galerie edition bibliothek archiv in Salzburg, once again thanks to the Austrijski kulturni forum Beograd, took part in the festival as reviewers. They saw her work and, in the end, they organised her exhibition and published her fantastic book.
And, going back to Arles, because that's where we were... The day after Otto's great news and the celebration at Place du Forum, Dasha wrote to me inviting me to the École, where she was taking part in a round table about personal stories told through photobooks. Incredible to see how she and her work is getting the visibility she deserves, Dasha, congrats for this familiy project!
https://dashakaretnikova.com/gulag
Lovely things keep happening around us, and it's a privilege to be part of them.
But now it's August, life goes on... and so do photobooks! And festivals too!!
OFF Bratislava has just published its shortlist and, yes, once again we will be there. This time with several photobooks that we already presented during BPM Book Week 2026.
Here is the list, following the same order as the OFF announcement:
Joan Alvado with his new book Os Batimos da meia-noite, also shortlisted in Arles.
https://www.joanalvado.com/
Katerina Kouzmitcheva with her new book The Colour Beneath the Grey, a project developed in Belgrade and published thanks to the Poljski institut u Beogradu / Instytut Polski w Belgradzie. We also exhibited the project at Sarajevo Photography Festival.
https://katerinakouzmitcheva.com/the-colour-beneath-the-grey
Ljuba Sorokina with her zine Blok 70, which was also exhibited at Sarajevo Photography Festival.
https://www.instagram.com/ljubainthemirror/
Milena Antić with her first photobook, Light Impressions of Algeria, exploring her father's life in Algeria years ago. The book wasn't presented during BPM Book Week because it was still in the oven, but it was presented at Sarajevo Photography Festival.
Srdjan Veljović with his book In Trance We Trust, a project that was exhibited and whose book was presented both during BPM Book Week and at Sarajevo Photography Festival.
https://www.instagram.com/srdjanveljovic/
Xiaofu Wang with her book The Tower, about the Genex Tower in Belgrade.
https://www.shop.xiaofuwang.info/products
But there will be even more that were part of BPM Book Week 2026:
Christina Werner with her book The Horses Are Coming. Once again, thanks to the Austrijski kulturni forum Beograd, she managed to finish the book in time for BPM Book Week, where we also exhibited the project.
https://www.christinawerner.com/publications/
Natalia Ershova with her book ImPlanting, which we also presented during BPM Book Week.
https://nataliaershova.photographer.ru/photobook-implanting?lang=eng
..and what else?
Well, just working on the next BPM, which will open its doors on 7th May.
And stay tuned... we have some great surprises in store for Arles 2027!!!