BPM — Mulhouse Photography Biennial

L'Agrandisseur: at the origins of an ambitious biennial

The Mulhouse Photography Biennial (BPM) was born in 2013 at the initiative of the association L'Agrandisseur, founded in November 2010 in Mulhouse by Jean-Yves Guénier and Anne Immelé. A photographer and doctor of art, Anne Immelé has been the artistic director of each edition, maintaining a demanding curatorial vision that questions the photographic medium, its transformations, and its uses in contemporary art. A member of the Réseau LUX and Plan d'Est, L'Agrandisseur also organizes residencies, workshops, and meetings between photographers and image professionals.

Six editions, six views of the world

Since its creation, the BPM has presented six thematic editions that have marked the French photographic landscape: Play & Replay (2013), L'autre et le même (2016), Attraction(s) (2018), This is the end (2020), Corps Célestes (2022), and Mondes impossibles (2024). Each biennial invites international photographers to develop projects resonating with the chosen theme, fostering original creations, residencies, and commissions specific to the Mulhouse region.

Sedimentation(s): the 7th edition explores the strata of time

The 7th edition, scheduled from June 5 to July 5, 2026, is titled 'Sedimentation(s)'. This theme invites an exploration of terrestrial and mental geographies through the notions of stratification, matter-flow, and the plasticity of collective and individual memories. It echoes Mulhouse's geographical location, where the Alsatian plain—a seabed 33 million years ago—has deposited thick layers of limestone and marl. Among the exhibiting artists are: Pablo Castilla (Altiplano), François Jonquet (Forage), Ruth Lauer Manenti, Marilia Destot, Manuela Marques, and Jean-Claude Figenwald.

Iconic exhibition venues in Mulhouse

The BPM is distinguished by its multi-site circuit through Mulhouse's most remarkable cultural venues. Exhibitions take place at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Filature — Scène nationale, the Bibliothèque Grand'Rue, La KunstTurm (a water tower converted into an art space), Le Séchoir, and Mulhouse Art Contemporain. This dissemination throughout the city invites visitors on an urban photographic journey, creating dialogues between the works and the architectures that host them.

Residencies, meetings, and international openness

Beyond exhibitions, the BPM develops an artist residency program in the Mulhouse region. American photographer Jenia Fridlyand was hosted in residence for the 2026 edition. Meetings with artists, guided tours, and educational workshops complete the program. With its dual mission—to broaden the photographic spectrum internationally and to detect emerging photography—the BPM actively contributes to cross-border exchanges, echoing Mulhouse's position at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Switzerland.