Fotografiska 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, the team and I find ourselves reflecting on an extraordinary year at Fotografiska. Across our five locations—Berlin, New York, Shanghai, Stockholm, and Tallinn—we have celebrated groundbreaking exhibitions, connected deeply with our communities, and pushed boundaries in art, culture, and experience. This year has been a testament to what makes Fotografiska so unique: we are more than just a museum, but a living, breathing space for connection, inspiration, and discovery. 

Our exhibitions this year have set a new standard for storytelling through photography. In New York, we debuted the first-ever museum exhibition of Vivian Maier’s iconic photography, which drew a record-breaking 82,000 paying visitors in three months to our space at 281 Park Avenue South - our largest audience in the city to date. Meanwhile, in Stockholm, we hosted the largest-ever exhibition outside of China for Feng Li, whose vibrant and surreal street photography captivated audiences. Across the globe in Shanghai, we introduced Marvellous Realism, the first major exhibition focused on contemporary African photography in China, spotlighting groundbreaking talents and perspectives that sparked important conversations. In total, we proudly presented 52 unique solo and group exhibitions this year, each one a testament to the power of art to inspire and provoke. 

Let that number of exhibitions sink in. Fifty-two. The amount of work it takes to curate, design, produce, communicate, and program fifty-two exhibitions is a remarkable feat, and a testament to the teams running our local museums and our global effort. 

Beyond exhibitions, we’ve worked hard to strengthen our ties with our communities. This year, we relaunched our global membership program with a renewed focus on connection, bringing together over 6,000 members worldwide who share a passion for art and culture. In Berlin, we launched our Emerging Artists Program, offering a platform for the next generation of visionaries in photography to share their voices and visions.

Our community also came out in full force in Tallinn, where we celebrated Fotografiska’s 5th anniversary together with the opening of the In Bloom exhibition. These efforts underscore our belief that Fotografiska is more than a museum - it’s a community where creativity thrives. 

Our culinary achievements have also been a point of pride. In Tallinn, we continued to push the boundaries of culinary art, earning a Michelin Green Star for sustainable cooking for the third consecutive year. Inspired by Shepard Fairey’s bold artistry, we introduced the “Punk Michelin” concept, creating an inclusive and forward-thinking dining experience that drew 50% more visitors to the restaurant in its first weeks. Meanwhile, in Stockholm, we celebrated a decade of cutting-edge, plant-based cuisine at our Michelin-starred restaurant, a milestone that reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation in food and sustainability. In Shanghai we opened MONA our Mediterranean fusion bistro with a spicy Asian twist. Led by Chef Mandy and her team we continue to push the boundaries of gastronomy using local ingredients to craft dishes that use innovative techniques and combinations. Finally, both Verōnika and Bar Clara were nominated for Best Restaurant of the Year and Best Bar of the Year respectively, and Verōnika won the overall award.

This year also saw us celebrating major milestones across our locations. Berlin marked its first anniversary in September with unforgettable opening parties for exhibitions like Andy Warhol’s After the Party as well as 50 Years of Hip Hop: Conscious, Unconscious, each drawing over 2,000 visitors in a single night, just one of many membership perks. In Tallinn, we celebrated our fifth anniversary as a cultural landmark, welcoming over 250,000 visitors to our exhibitions, programming, and dining experiences. Stockholm continued its winning streak, earning the title of "Best Museum in Stockholm" by Time Out Magazine and being recognized as the “Industry Winner 2024” for outperforming the national museum sector with an impressive 113% increase in financial results. 

On the digital front, we made significant strides with the launch of our new website for mainland China, bringing Fotografiska closer to our growing audience in the region. This expansion underscores our commitment to making photography and art accessible to more people around the world while deepening our presence in one of the most dynamic cultural markets. 

Fotografiska now has over 1 million followers across all our social media channels globally. This growing digital community reflects the power of photography, art, and culture to inspire and connect audiences worldwide. Through curated content, behind-the-scenes moments, and meaningful conversations, we've deepened our engagement with followers who share our passion for creativity and innovation. Social media has become a vital space for us to bridge the gap between our museums and the world, and we’re thrilled to see this community continue to grow. 

In 2024 we also have had to make some hard decisions. After more than five incredible years in Fotografiska New York we had to close our museum in September as the Park Avenue location did not meet the needs of our visitors and the ambitious visions of the artists we present. Finding a more suitable physical home in New York has proved more difficult than we had hoped, but we intend to remain active in the U.S. and especially New York. If the right opportunity arises in the future we’d be thrilled to return, and we continue to meet with partners both in New York and elsewhere in the United States as we evaluate various opportunities. In the meantime, we maintain a presence in North America through collaborations like the one with The Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas where Fotografiska’s Best in Show: Pets in Contemporary Photography (aka The Pet Show), is on view through April 13, 2025.  

Looking towards the future, in September we announced that we will be opening Fotografiska in Oslo in 2027. Fotografiska Oslo will open in the historic Deichmanske building in the city center where the country’s main public library was situated from 1933 until 2020. Fotografiska will be part of the Deich project, run by our Norwegian partners Møller Eiendom, that will also include restaurants, bars and event spaces to become a modern meeting place with photography at its center. Globally there are several cities and partners who have invited Fotografiska, and we are glad to evaluate these opportunities closely. 

As we look ahead to 2025, we carry forward the momentum of a year filled with creativity, connection, and innovation. We plan on growing our online community and will be expanding our online shop. The exhibitions we have planned are going to be the best yet, and we really look forward to celebrating 15 years of Fotografiska Stockholm.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of our visitors, members, and partners. Thank you for being part of Fotografiska’s journey. Together, we’ll continue to push boundaries, spark inspiration, and share the power of photography, art, and culture with the world.