EXHIBITIONS
Dedicated exclusively to photographic art, the festival brings together a vibrant range of thought-provoking photographic exhibitions that invites us to look closer - at Ilkley, at each other, and at the stories we live every day.

A Booth with a View
By Ilkley Camera Club
Main Location: Disused phone booth, Ilkley Train Station
Exhibition dates: 11July - 3 August
Ilkley Camera Club members were invited to share their perspectives on the town - reimagining the familiar and offering a fresh, often surprising lens on this beloved place, all from an unexpected exhibition space.

The Good River
By Benjamin Statham
Main Location: Alpkit Store, 7 Station Rd, Ilkley LS29 8HF
Exhibition dates: 11 July – 29 August
Presented in response to the festival theme "Ilkley: Best Place to Live," The Good River is Benjamin Statham’s quiet, deeply personal journey along the River Wharfe - a meditation on place, identity, and a body (of land and of self) in flux.

A Black-and-White Reflection on Ilkley’s Landscapes and Lives
By Mark Waddington
Main Location: Alpkit Store, 7 Station Rd, Ilkley LS29 8HF
Exhibition dates: 11 July – 29 August
Ilkley has been named the best place to live in the North of England. This exhibition gently asks: by what measure, and for whom? Shot in black-and-white, these photographs offer a quiet, deliberate encounter with Ilkley’s iconic landscapes and its lesser-seen, everyday rhythms.

In the Company of Dogs
A Photographic Exploration of Personality, Companionship, and Trust
By Rob Rowlands
Exhibition dates: 11 July – 28 July
Part of the festival’s exploration of "Ilkley: Best Place to Live," this project began not with a grand concept, but with something simple: helping out the local pet shop and scratching a creative itch. For Rob, there was no plan — just a desire to make and to connect. Over time, something more meaningful took shape.

Lifted
friendship | community | support
by Charlie Swinbourne
Main Location: Clarke Foley Community Hub, Cunliffe Rd, Ilkley LS29 9DZ
Exhibition dates: 2 July - 3 August
To mark the 50th anniversary of Ilkley and District Good Neighbours, photographer Charlie Swinbourne was invited to meet, witness, and document the people at the heart of its work. The resulting exhibition, Lifted, brings together twelve portraits of the clients and volunteers - capturing moments of care, connection, and community.

Favourite Things About Ilkley
By the Outside the Box Photography Groups
Main Location: Outside the Box, The Victorian Arcade, Ilkley LS29 9DY
Exhibition dates: 11 - 18 July
OTB’s Photography groups made up of adults with learning disabilities were invited to share their favourite things about Ilkley — offering their unique perspectives through the lens of everyday beauty, and belonging.

Walking Among Cultures
By Andreea Chitan
Main Location: The Art Shop Gallery, Hawksworth St, Ilkley LS29 9DU
Exhibition dates: 11 - 20 July (Please note: closed Sundays)
Set against Ilkley’s moorland paths and historic countryside, Walking Among Cultures traces quiet encounters between land and identity. Chitan photographs people of diasporic heritage walking on the moors — not as conquerors, but as caretakers, present not to claim, but to witness and be witnessed.

Unadorned
A Black-and-White Encounter with the Gypsy and Traveller Community
By Cath Muldowney
Main Location: Ilkley Arts Studio, 4 Castle Yard, Ilkley LS29 9DT
Exhibition dates: 11 - 13 July
OTB’s Photography groups made up of adults with learning disabilities were invited to share their favourite things about Ilkley — offering their unique perspectives through the lens of everyday beauty, and belonging.

Faces of Bradford: Then and Now
By Laura Mate
Main Location: Ilkley Arts Studio, 4 Castle Yard, Ilkley LS29 9DT
Exhibition dates: 11 - 13 July
Responding to the festival’s theme, Faces of Bradford: Then and Now explores Ilkley’s place within the wider Bradford district. Through tender photographic portraits, Laura creates a visual dialogue between time, identity, and place - capturing the lives and contributions that shape this region.

Dear Phyllis
An Exploration of Memory, Place, and Imagined Connection
By Zoe Dixon
Main Location: Ilkley Arts Studio, 4 Castle Yard, Ilkley LS29 9DT
Exhibition dates: 11 - 13 July
Found by chance in a charity shop, a bundle of postcards addressed to “Phyllis Clarke” spans over five decades (1951–2003). Each card reveals affectionate notes, mundane updates, distant holidays, and familiar handwriting. Through assembling these fragments, Zoe reconstructs an imagined life — a quiet tribute to memory and presence.

Young Photographer Competition
By young artists aged 20 years and under
Exhibition dates: 11 July - 3 August
A showcase of shortlisted entries from our Young Photographer Competition, celebrating the creativity and vision of emerging talent.

A selection of works from all exhibiting artists
By all artists
Exhibition dates: 13 - 16 July
Tinker Gallery will feature a selection of works from all exhibiting artist between Sunday the 13th of July and Wednesday 16th of July