shutter to think

Houston's picture-perfect FotoFest returns with a showcase of can't-miss, cutting-edge works

Don't miss Jakayla Monay's Houston-centric works.

One of the city’s preeminent cultural and visual arts offerings is back after a reimagining during the pandemic.

FotoFest, Houston's all-encompassing, biennial showcase of timely, socially relevant photography, officially launches its 2022 Biennial Saturday, September 24, with an impressive array of events including a swanky gala and reception, exhibit unveilings, and more.

The organization, dedicated to showcasing the best in photography and visual culture, produces and sponsors a number of exhibitions across the city. The Biennial is on view from September 24 through November 6 at Sawyer Yards and a host of other participating venues and offers compelling exhibits and other programming.

The central exhibition, "If I Had A Hammer," explores how artists around the world capture the essence of cultural movements. These works showcase how people of all ideologies come together, resisting and replacing the legacies of colonialism and imperialism.

On Saturday, September 24, visitors can head to Silver Street Studios for the FotoFest Biennial 2022 grand opening. From 8 to 11 pm, guests can meet the artists and curators behind the central exhibition, "If I Had A Hammer," along with the concurrent exhibitions "African Cosmologies: Redux" (a must-see) and "Ten by Ten," a curated showcase of cutting-edge works. (One "Ten by Ten" standout is artist Zana Briski, who works patiently on moonless nights to capture wild animals in Animalograms, making exposures of them directly onto large sheets of photographic paper.) It’s also an opportunity to be among the first to see these important works from talented artists.

Bearogram Zana Briski Zana Briski cleverly captures wild animals in Animalograms.ZanaBriski.com

Those looking for a more in-depth understanding of these works should take part in some of FotoFest’s programming offerings on Sunday, September 25. These include a curatorial walkthrough of "If I Had A Hammer," where co-curators Steven Evans, Max Fields, and Amy Sadao will discuss each of the included artists and highlight several pieces. In addition, several featured artists will be there to talk about their approach to their art and answer questions.

That evening features a performance of DASH by Ho Rui An, which opens with footage of an accident captured by a dashboard camera.

Thursday, September 29’s Fine Print Auction at the Whitehall Houston Hotel gives guests the opportunity to bid on museum-quality prints from some of the world’s finest contemporary photographers. This fundraiser is essential to the ongoing programming that FotoFest provides, giving photography lovers an incentive to take home gorgeous works and support a great cause.

Art lovers and observers of global cultural contexts and piercing socio-political will find much to celebrate and ponder in all of FotoFest Biennial 2022’s offerings, which remind that some pictures truly are worth a thousand words.

Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

magazines design openings bookstore