No photos from the war. No photos of the victims. There is not any mention of the a whole bunch of photographers who died taking them. We are a bunch of activists and artists who imagine that the longer term can be shaped by those that see it. We stand together against the forces that prevent us from doing so. The future is formed by art festivals that select what we see. Hiding behind the attractive face of diversity while not wanting to see genocide.
This shocking public statement accompanies a series of large-format street posters, the so-called no photo2024. Anonymous artists and activists behind no-photo2024 highlight the exclusion of Palestinian photographers from the competition PHOTO 2024 festival, now showing in Melbourne.
no-photo2024 posters are strategically placed near the PHOTO 2024 venues. Their purpose is to focus on the contradictions in the exclusion of atrocities captured by Palestinian photographers in Gaza.
PHOTO 2024
Although the organization behind FOTO 2024, Photo of Australiacalls itself an “apolitical” festival. he built his status by promoting and commissioning politically charged work by First Nations, African, Middle Eastern and LGBTQI+ photographers. Big names from past festivals include Hoda Afshar, Christian Thompson, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Hayley Millar Baker, Broomberg and Chanarin, Mohamed Bourouissa and Aziz Hazara.
The festival commissions latest works for outdoor projects and, through an open call, invites submissions from artists and photographers from world wide. Entries are assessed by a world jury consisting of leading curators of photography and visual arts. The festival also organizes public programs and includes side events and exhibitions in cooperation with cultural, educational, industrial and regional partners.
The festival is well-known for setting themes promote the role of photography in difficult power. The PHOTO 2021 competition explored the theme of “truth” at the peak of Donald Trump’s presidency, attracting projects specializing in the credibility of photography on social media, fake news and artificial intelligence. This yr’s program boasted the support of “First Nations tell the truth” and “experience whistleblowers who spoke on behalf of those whose voices were never intended to be heard.”
This yr, the festival continues to advertise socio-political themes under the slogan “The future is shaped by those who see it.” Events include an ideas summit photography as activism, amongst other current discussions. The heroic photo by Moroccan-Belgian photographer Mousa Lamrabat shows two African models adorned in fashionable outfits which they’ve read “stop terrorizing our world.”
But there there are not any photos from Palestinian photographers.
PHOTO 2024 was contacted for comment as a part of the Conversation. They said:
The PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography features over 150 artists chosen in response to the curatorial theme established for 2022. PHOTO Australia has not excluded any artist on the premise of race, religion, nationality, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or another personal characteristics. PHOTO Australia stands by its values, creating an inclusive platform that doesn’t discriminate, censor or diminish the multitude of expressions artists bring to the world. Artists exhibiting by PHOTO Australia were invited directly or submitted to our open call in February 2023 and were chosen in consultation with local and international curators.
Most of this system is presented by 40 cultural institutions and independent galleries which have prepared their very own exhibitions corresponding to the major theme and chosen artists in accordance with their very own curatorial policy.
Photography contract
no-photo2024 posters feature a black square or rectangle symbolizing an edited photograph. The adjoining descriptive text reveals the hidden narrative of the censored image. Each poster is printed with a caption attributing the text description and edited photo to the Palestinian photographer.
The juxtaposition of the edited photo with the text description not only commemorates the efforts of Palestinian photographers, but additionally prompts broader reflection on the social and ethical consequences of selectively hiding images of atrocity from the general public.
no photo2024
The posters expertly reference the influential work of Israeli author Ariella Azoulay and outspoken Jewish-American theorist Judith Butler.
Azoulay Civil contract for photography (2008) examines the political and ethical conditions of photography, proposing it as a social practice linked to citizenship, human rights and sovereignty, and not only an art form.
It introduces the thought of a “civil contract”, in which photography serves as a contract of reciprocity and responsibility between the photographer, the topic and the viewer.

no photo2024
Azoulay suggests that photography can construct solidarity. In her opinion, photographs are a type of testimony, testimony to injustice and violation of human rights. Importantly, it uses Palestine as a critical example of how photography can document the realities of occupation, conflict and resistance.
Azoulay challenges the age-old concept that photographs are simply moments from the past. Instead, he sees them as lively engagements that encourage ethical and political participation. In no-photo2024 we’ve an in depth example of how Azoulay’s theory might be applied in practice.
The posters also confer with the work of Judith Butler Uncertain life (2004) i Frames of War: When is life miserable? (2009).
Butler highlights how the media portrays individuals through photography, making a narrative that privileges the lives of some over others. They claim that the media dictates who we mourn and who we ignore.

no photo2024
This discrepancy is resulting from conscious selections in framing images based on politics and race. Therefore, they write, our connection (or indifference) to the suffering of others through images is usually manipulated, resulting in a “desensitization” to the plight of those deemed “different” or less human, an idea first articulated in Susan’s equally influential book Sontag About the pain of others (2003).
Butler examines how the media’s selective framing of the “other” (the Palestinians in the case of no-photo2024) not only obscures the true impact of violence and war, but actively shapes our perceptions of who deserves to mourn. Butler sees photography’s dual role in perpetuating indifference and promoting a radical shift in our ethical orientation to motion.
Our common, uncertain world
no-photo2024 is a strong call to motion. It encourages collective reflection on how images can witness atrocities, mobilize public opinion and contribute to the fight for human rights and social justice.
One of the posters read: “Gruz. Rubble hand. Tubular sleeve. Bloody finger. A fresh tea bag crushed between the rubble. Metal. Rubble. “Shadow of the body.” The Instagram post in the document stating that the linked poster states that it’s “installed near a commercial art gallery that demands its artists remain silent on the subject of Palestine for fear of losing support from its patrons.”

non-photo2024
In an AI-driven post-photography era, no-photo2024 promotes a much-needed discussion in regards to the ethical responsibilities of making, curating and consuming photos. It challenges the photography community to maneuver beyond the appreciation of aesthetics and interact with images as participants in a shared, uncertain world.