This form is designed to help us better coordinate with all our artists, collaborators, and friends who are planning to attend the Ephemere Photo Fest in Tokyo this October. By filling this out, you allow us to be aware of your presence and ensure you have the most meaningful experience possible, whether you are a featured artist, a collaborator, or a supporter!

This slideshow, curated by Chelsea Chua and Lim Ming Rui of Objectifs (Singapore), gives a glimpse into the issues and modes of image-making that preoccupy artists in Southeast Asia today. Featuring recent projects by five past recipients of the Objectifs Documentary Award, it offers a vital window into contemporary photography from the region.

Total Runtime: 26mins 35 secs

Featured Artists

Kaleb Sitompul – To Bless the Motherland (2025) (10:01min) 

Project Statement

The Natinggir Forest Indigenous Community, a Batak tribe in North Sumatra, has lived in harmony with their land for over 300 years. Facing threats from industrial eucalyptus plantations, they resist through land restoration and advocacy, striving to protect their ancestral forest, culture, and livelihoods for future generations. 

Artist Bio

Kaleb Sitompul is a visual storyteller from Indonesia working in film and photography. He studied filmmaking at the Jakarta Institute of Arts and honed his narrative approach with Pannafoto Institute and VII Academy. Since 2021, his work has focused on stories and social issues beyond Java’s urban centers. He received the Objectifs Documentary Award (Emerging) in 2023.

Mai Nguyên Anh – The Patriot Playbook (4:57min)

Project Statement

This project traces Ho Chi Minh monuments amid controversies and state investments. Driven by curiosity about rising nationalism versus grassroots sentiments, I travelled across the country to capture moments, blending propaganda with personal encounters. The work maps an evolving political/cultural identity, but also reveals love for a country beyond ideology.

Artist Bio

Mai Nguyên Anh is a Vietnamese artist whose work blends observational and poetic documentary approaches to explore personal and social paradoxes. As curator of PhotoHanoi and co-founder of Matca, he deepens his practice by creating spaces that invite reflection, spark creative dialogue, and contribute to the evolving landscape of contemporary photography in Vietnam. Mai received the Objectifs Documentary Award (Open) in 2018.

Lê Nguyên Phương - Giao Điểm (Intersection) (3:20min)

Project Statement

Giao Điểm was made in eight days in 2024, during a trip to Siem Reap with my father. He spent four days with me before leaving back to Vietnam for his work. A day later, my lover came to visit me without him knowing. The work explores my father's story, and the secrets within.

Artist Bio

Lê Nguyên Phương (or Phuong Nguyen Le in Western naming convention) (b. 2002, Ha Noi) is an emerging Vietnamese photographer, artist, and researcher. His works focus on themes of collective identity, community, and family in the aftermath of the American War in Vietnam. Phương received the Objectifs Documentary Award (Emerging) in 2023.

Sarah Isabelle Tan  - Do you remember the colour of the sky that day (II) (5:01min)

Project Statement

Do you remember the colour of the sky that day (II) is an encounter with images composed of Super 8 footage and damaged negatives shot and collected over five years. Scratches, stains, and chemical traces reveal distortion rather than clarity, embracing fragments of memory suspended between visibility and loss. I narrate parts of imagined and real stories, mirroring my broader practice of exploring how presence delicately persists at thresholds of visibility, and is revealed in the act of holding, carrying, sustaining.

Artist Bio

Sarah Isabelle Tan is an artist and researcher based between London and Singapore. Her practice engages with writing and a post-medium framework that approaches the image not as representation, but through material sensitivity and embodied processes. She is currently undertaking a Masters of Research at the Royal College of Art, and was a recipient of the Objectifs Documentary Award in 2020 (Emerging). 

Shwe Wutt Hmon - When The Curtain Falls (3:14min)

Project Statement

When The Curtain Falls is about finding and building connections between myself, photo studio spaces that I love so much, and the people who protect these memorable places, as a way to counter my fear that these photo studios will soon vanish in a not-so-distant-future.

Artist Bio

Shwe Wutt Hmon is a photographer and mixed media artist from Myanmar, currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Shwe’s work focuses on collective histories, familial ties, relationships, and exploring the inner psyche through intimate storytelling about people and places dear to her heart. She received the Objectifs Documentary Award (Open) in 2020.

𝑬𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

📍 Gallery Conceal Shibuya

📅 October 01–12, 11:00-20:00

🎟️ Entrance: Free

We're honored to welcome Paris-based American artist Jordan Reyes, as our main visiting artist for the inaugural Ephemere Photo Fest. His unique voice is a cornerstone of our Core Programs. Jordan's four-part contribution to EPF offers a powerful and deeply personal exploration of the modern condition.

The Programs:

• Solo Exhibition: Jordan's debut exhibition, To Make A Photography Exhibition From Scratch You Must First Invent The Universe, uses mixed media to wrestle with themes of untethering and the isolation of being a foreigner.

• Photobook Launches: He will launch two new photobooks with Ephemere: The Only Dog I Hate and I’ll See You In The Branches. Both books are designed by Lee Tesche.

• Workshop: He will lead a three-day intensive workshop, I Photograph What I Want To See, guiding students to hone a personal and sustainable photographic methodology.

• Artist Talk: In his talk, Most People Are Winging It, And I’m Most People, Too, Jordan will detail his journeys in writing, music, and photography. He'll explore how becoming your best teacher and trusting your own intuition, rather than seeking external guidance, leads to a sustainable artistic practice.

The Ephemere Photo Library is a temporary and traveling archive that explores the beautiful paradox of the physical book as both a permanent record and a fragile, ephemeral object.

This living, moving catalog showcases a diverse collection of books and zines from Ephemere's own titles and artists worldwide, connecting them with new audiences at various events and exhibitions.

We're honored to welcome London-based photographer Paula Rae Gibson as a featured artist at the Ephemere Photo Fest. A self-taught photographer whose intensely personal work has been exhibited and awarded internationally, Paula's presence is a cornerstone of our Core Programs. Her three-part contribution to the EPF is a deeply personal and moving tribute to her late best friend.

• Photobook Launch and Artist Talk: Paula will launch her latest limited-edition photo book by Ephemere, Remember When I Told You Everything, a tribute to her best friend, Sue. In her talk, Paula will delve into the making of this project, exploring themes of longing, introspection, and the kind of love that allows you to be more of yourself in another's presence.

  📅 October 4, Saturday, 12:00-13:00

  🎟️ Entrance: Free

• Slideshow: Accompanying the book launch is a short film which combines intimate images, music, and memory to give a profound sense of their friendship.

  📅 October 01–12, 11:00-20:00

  🎟️ Entrance: Free

This special photography show is a celebration of our Open Calls this year, combining submissions from Ephemerality through photo essays and Permanence through single images, along with a selection of work from Duality through diptychs. 

Featured Photographers:

Aakash Prithviraj Rai • Ada Marino • Adrianna MJW • Aia Solis • Aji Susanto Anom • Akil Tircuit • Alessio Roberto • Alex Alonso • Ana Villarrubia • Anca Pandrea • Andie Riekstina • Andrei Barbos • Andrew McClees • Andrew Tsang • Angel Li • Angelo Greco • Anil Purohit • Anna Rosa Krau • Anne Laure Gueret • Anne Milne • Annemarie Deckers • Anthony Bockheim • Antoan Graham • Anton Bou • Antonino Cuccia • Aram Tanis • Artin Zonouzi • Artur Leão • Arvella Emmanuel Vincent • Avery Edelman • Betty Goh • Björn Nilsson • Brian Hodges • Cameron McLeod • Carla Artero • Caroline Koning • Carsten Horn • Claudia Fuggetti • Colin Ward • Constanza Isaza Martinez • Cristóbal Cerda • Daniel Von • David Barker • Dea Khalvashi • Derek Hayes • Dominic Ashton • Duo Han Longbow • Dustin Keirns • Edyta Kopcio • Eijiro Hamada • Elena Serafimova • Eliana Carvidón • Elisabeth Dubrovsky • Elmira Katasova • Emily Hansell • Erica Wheadon • Ester Fratucello • Eva Berler • Ezra Petry • Francesco Topino • Francisco Ortega • Fred Cigno • Fred Johnsson • Gaia Credentino • Gaurav Arora • Gema Ganeswara • Georgiana Feidi • Ghia Deng • Gildasio Filho • Giulia Coppetti • Glen Snyder • Glenn Villarama • Gwilen Grace • Hannah Hernø-Toftild • Henrique Matos • Iben Van Damme • Iris Hu • Isabelle Bourdeauducq • Jamie Png • Jaume Llorens Bach • Jennifer Baron • Jeremy Franchi • Jill Corral • Jitka Ertelová • Joe Westley • Jorge Fabián Castillo • José Herrera • Juan Luis Salazar • Julián Péter • Justin Schug • Karthik Krishnaswamy • Katerina Vasilas • Katherine Mendoza • Kelly Rosa • Keon Wong • Kevin Baylon • Kevin Estandian • Khanjan Purohit • Kinga Owczennikow • Kozue Maruyama • Krongrat Jindapol • Kseniya Gorbanova • Kym Renay • Kyumin Kim • Lara Gilks • Laurent Barrera • Loredana Denicola • Lucas Pacifico • Ludovic Viévard • Luyang Gan • Lynn Silverman • Lynne Breitfeller • Maria Castro • Maria Fernanda Hubeaut • Maria Vittoria Rulli • Mariela Soldano • Mariia Shekhireva • Marina Dego • Mário Pires • Martin Miklas • Matias Biglieri • Maud Evrard • Mauricio Beraud • May Qin Chua • Maya Fonseca • Megan O • Melanie Schoeniger • Michaela Knizova • Michelle Ann • Milvia Stefani • Mohsen Hadj • Natalia Filatova • Natalia Rudychev • Natalie Karpushenko • Nica Aquino • Nickie Vertigan • Nivard Thoes • Noor Datis • Norbi Whitney • Olena Lemberska • Oliver Kuehnel • Oliver McCarthy • Oliver Raschka • Pann Manasopon • Pasha Febrian • Patrice Go • Pauline Jaffuel Raji • Peng-Wen Lin • Per-Olof Stoltz • Philipp Zechner • Pierinna Olivas • Qiyue Li • Radiz Sutthisoontorn • Raquel Trejo • Rod Sot • Ronald Butler • Ryley Clarke • Sam Evans • Sar Bombay • Sarah Garland • Sebastian Sighell • Sky Stevens • Sonja Prillere • Sophie Polyviou • Spyros Chalikias • Susan White • Susana Aparicio Lardiés • Susann Carmen Jagodzińska • Susanne Bartels • Susanne Willuhn • Sylvain Holtermann • Tamta Gokadze • Terra Kitoko • Thitipong Sansanayuth • Tiange Xiang • Tirta Winata • Tomas Zukovskij • Tyler Henson • Tyler Henthorn • Uffe Raupach Jensen • Valentina Baldelli • Vincent Karcher • Viviana Bonura • Willie Koh • Xavier Rony • Yasu Matsumoto • Zach Litzgus

Lead Curator: Anne Murayama
Assistant Curators: Kseniya Gorbanova and Andrei Barbos
Technical Advisor: Glen Snyder

This slideshow, curated by the Fotomoto team, explores the complex and contradictory nature of the Filipino experience. Through a collection of photographs, I/Land delves into how the fleeting and the enduring—the land and the water, unity and division, faith and despair—are woven into the fabric of archipelagic life.

Featured Photographers

A.g De Mesa, Aeson Baldevia, Anton Baello, Artu Nepomuceno, Carina Altomonte, Carmen del Prado, Christian Babista, Christopher Salvador, Demie, Edmar Pineda, Edward Balmores, Effy Calingao, Fourth Barleta, Francisco Guerrero, Gelo Arboleda, Gio Panlilio, Hersley Casero, Jan Mayo, Jason Apolonio, Jason Quibilan, Javion, Jay Melliza, Jethro, Johann Guasch, Jojo Mamangun, Jyll Bitalac, Ken Guanzon, Marco Ugoy, MM Yu, Neal Oshima, Niko Francisco, Paul Quiambao, Raena Abella, Ricky Ladia, Sandra Dans, Sherry Quiambao, Stephanie Frondoso, Susan Larsson, Tin Dominguez, Toto Lozano, Veejay Villafranca, Zig Mirasol

FotomotoPH is an organization of visionary photographers, artists, curators, and writers dedicated to promoting Philippine photography through a regular cycle of exhibitions, public programs, and special projects with art spaces throughout the archipelago. FotomotoPH involves a cross-section of the community and encourages participation, appreciation, and collectorship.

𝑬𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒆𝒔𝒕

📍 Gallery Conceal Shibuya

📅 October 01-12, 11:00-20:00

🎟️ Entrance: Free