What's On, Bristol at Home, Exhibitions
Bristol Photo Festival: Time Machine
Published on
When: 14 October 2026 – 9 May 2027
Where: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol
Bristol Photo Festival returns with Time Machine, bringing major photographic exhibitions to venues across the city, including two ambitious new shows at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
Bristol's international biennial of contemporary photography returns for its third edition, entitled Time Machine, with an opening week running from 14 to 18 October 2026 and exhibitions continuing across the city into 2027. At Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, the festival presents two new commissions.
People of Clay
Akshay Mahajan's People of Clay traces hidden histories along the Brahmaputra River through India's Goalpara region and into northern Bangladesh, reconstructing layers of story, myth and memory through patient observation and listening.
Persistence Studies
In the Balcony Gallery, Sheida Soleimani's Persistence Studies borrows its title from avian ecology, using European starlings and house sparrows to explore ideas of native, invasive and belonging.
Festival-wide programme
Alongside the museum shows, the festival's flagship exhibitions include Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey at Arnolfini and further shows at venues across Bristol, supported by a symposium and public talks bringing together leading photographic voices from around the world.