Evidence of Existence, the 2026 ICP Recent Graduates Exhibition, unfolds at the International Center of Photography in New York from May 15 to May 25, bringing together a new generation of image-makers at a pivotal moment in their development. Drawing from three of the institution’s key educational tracks—including the One-Year Certificate Programs in Creative Practices and Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism, as well as the Teen Academy Imagemakers program—the exhibition offers a broad and layered view of contemporary photographic inquiry.
Curated by Sara Ickow, the presentation gathers projects that probe the boundaries between visibility and absence, turning attention toward subjects that often remain unrecorded or overlooked. Across photography, video, installation, and hybrid media, the works reflect an engagement with personal narratives alongside wider social and political concerns. Rather than adhering to a single aesthetic or thematic direction, the exhibition foregrounds multiplicity, with each artist navigating distinct approaches to storytelling and representation.
The Creative Practices cohort contributes work shaped by experimentation and conceptual exploration, where images often intersect with performance, sound, or sculptural elements. These projects reveal an ongoing dialogue between medium and message, situating photography within a broader cultural and theoretical framework. In contrast, the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism participants emphasize investigative rigor, producing long-form narratives grounded in research, ethics, and sustained engagement with their subjects. Their projects reflect the evolving landscape of visual journalism, where traditional reportage meets new forms of distribution and audience interaction.
Also included are contributions from the Teen Academy Imagemakers, whose presence underscores ICP’s commitment to fostering emerging voices at an early stage. Their work introduces fresh perspectives shaped by immediacy and curiosity, often addressing identity, community, and the complexities of contemporary life.
Taken together, Evidence of Existence functions as both a culmination of study and a point of departure. It presents photography not simply as a tool of documentation, but as a means of inquiry—capable of rendering visible the nuances of lived experience while questioning the conditions under which images are made and understood.
Image: Kevin Berlanga, Creative Practices '26, Thanatos, 2026. © Kevin Berlanga
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