Memory and Portraiture at FotoFest 2026
Sarah Gish’s new exhibition honors those who have passed.
I have had the privilege of presenting work in two FotoFest Biennials. In 2016, I exhibited IGNITE YOUR LIFE! A Visual Journey of Love. Ten years later, I am returning with IGNITE YOUR LIFE! Honoring the Deceased. Both exhibitions draw from my ongoing IGNITE YOUR LIFE! art project and are presented through the Biennial’s Participating Spaces program, which this year features over 80 presentations. While my first exhibition included 150 photographs, my new show features a more focused selection of 12 works. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share my photos: having an avenue for expression has ignited my life!
Founded in 1983 by documentary photographers and husband-and-wife Frederick Baldwin and Wendy Watriss, along with gallery director Petra Benteler, FotoFest is dedicated to fostering global perspectives, cross-cultural exchange, and engagement with social issues. Since its inaugural Biennial in 1986, the festival has been held every two years, with Participating Spaces serving as a core component from the beginning.
The Biennial is widely recognized as an international platform for ideas and discovery, offering an extensive range of exhibitions, programs, and events throughout Houston. This year’s curated exhibition, Global Visions – FotoFest at 40, marks four decades of photographic arts and education programming. Featuring more than 450 artists from the United States and 58 countries, the exhibition was curated by FotoFest co-founder Wendy Watriss and executive director Steven Evans, with co-curators Annick Dekiouk and Madi Murphy. The 2026 opening night celebration will take place on Saturday, March 7, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at FotoFest headquarters at Silver Street Studios.
My exhibition will be on view at Unity of Houston’s Art Gallery (in the Bookstore & Welcome building) from March 8 through May 3. The grouping of images emerged while I was cataloging photographs from my IGNITE YOUR LIFE! series, which I began in 2013. Over the past 13 years, I have photographed individuals holding a sign that asks, “HOW WILL YOU IGNITE YOUR LIFE?” Each participant shared what gives their life meaning or passion. As I reviewed the archive, I discovered that some of the individuals I photographed had since passed away. Bringing their images together in a single exhibition felt both necessary and meaningful. Included are Houston’s former Mayor Sylvester Turner, actor Val Kilmer, former Los Angeles stuntman Michael Lundin, founder of the Czech Center Museum Houston Effie Rosene, and local Black Panther lawyer and activist Bobby Caldwell.
My background as a professional event photographer shaped this work. Most interactions were brief—a photograph, a short exchange, and a shared moment. Some participants were also filmed, and those videos will be available through a YouTube playlist. Despite the brevity of many encounters, each story remains vivid to me. Assembling this exhibition has been profoundly moving, and I am honored to present it as part of FotoFest.
Like the Biennial, I have curated a series of events, some of which include invited participants. The full list, along with other details, can be found on the project’s Facebook page @IgniteYourOwnLife. Each event is inspired by the memory of my brother, Geoffrey Gish, who died at age 43 due to alcoholism. Through this work, I honor his life and extend that remembrance to others who have passed. There will be a Memento Photo-line from which photos of deceased loved ones can be hung. I encourage everyone to join this community remembrance portal.
The exhibition opens on Sunday, March 8, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., alongside Unity’s annual chili cook-off. Following that, it will be open for viewing on Sundays from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. On Wednesday, April 29, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Midweek with Unity will feature The Sound of Grief, a collaborative program with six women who have lost brothers prematurely. Readings will be interwoven with live flute music, creating a reflective and healing experience.
The closing event will take place on Saturday, May 2, from 11:30 a.m.until 5:00 p.m. in the beautiful Unity pyramid. From Breath to Breath: Celebrating Life & Death will include a World Labyrinth Day Walk for Broken Hearts; The Last Breath, a panel about life and death; an interpretive dance titled The Cycle of Birth, Life, Death, and Beyond; a 30-minute harp concert; poetry buskers; bubble joy; and access to a massage therapist and an attorney specializing in end-of-life planning. Self-guided activity tables will also be available, featuring artmaking inspired by Val Kilmer, conversation-provoking quotes, and writing prompts focused on legacy and remembrance.
This final event also serves as a meaningful tribute to FotoFest co-founder Fred Baldwin, who died in 2021. In his Texas Monthly obituary, “Fred Baldwin’s Life Was Worth 1,000 Pictures,” his guiding mantra is quoted: “Dream. Use your imagination. Overcome your fear. And most important, take action.” Through months of contemplating life and death while planning this exhibition, I have come to believe that dreaming, imagining, letting go of fear, and taking action are the truest ways to prepare for one’s final bow.
What: The Biennial 2026, Global Visions – FotoFest at 40
When: March 7 – May 10, 2026
Where: Sawyer Yards Galleries, 2000 Edwards Street
Info: www.FotoFest.org
