Filter Photo opens Context 2026, twelfth survey March 6 to April 18

Filter Photo opened Context 2026 at Filter Space in Chicago, mounting its twelfth annual survey exhibition of contemporary photography with an opening reception on March 6 from 5 to 8 PM. The show runs March 6 through April 18, 2026, and the event page lists the venue as Filter Space, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60622.

The exhibition is presented as a broad survey, featuring the work of 25 artists working across multiple practices. Filter Photo’s event copy describes the show as a survey of contemporary photography that encompasses analog, digital, collage and alternative processes, and the gallery notes the exhibition is "Free & Open to the Public." Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, 12 to 5 PM, with Saturdays available by appointment.

The exhibition was juried by Sara Ickow. An excerpt from the juror’s statement reads: "Photography can be many things. It can slip between genres, complicate fact and fiction, mix media, blend old and new, all while expanding how we perceive and understand the world. The works in Filter Photo’s Context 2026 exemplify the broad forms a photograph can take, representing practices including collage, analog and digital photography, and alternative processes." The show’s curatorial framing emphasizes hybrid practices and material range rather than a single technical or thematic focus.

Promotional material for the opening included a social post that reads, verbatim, "2. Context 2026, our 12th annual survey exhibition of #contemporaryphotography, opens this Friday, 3/6, with a reception at #FilterSpace from 5", reflecting the gallery’s use of social channels to highlight the March 6 reception. While the public event page supplies the full opening hours and dates, the Instagram copy appears truncated in the excerpt provided.

Several logistical and program details remain unlisted in the available event excerpt: the Filter Photo event copy confirms 25 participating artists but does not name them in the page text provided, and one archival note in the reporting materials includes an incomplete fragment of Ickow’s affiliation reading, "Associate Director of Exhibitions at the I", which is unresolved in the supplied text. The event page also displays headings for ABOUT, SUPPORT and FOLLOW without associated content in the excerpt supplied.

Context 2026 remains on view through April 18, with in-person access during the stated Wednesday–Friday hours and Saturday visits by appointment. The exhibition places a defined group of 25 artists in conversation under Sara Ickow’s juried selection, offering a concentrated look at collage, analog and digital work and alternative photographic processes at Filter Space.