biennial time

A preview of Russia's art secrets: Fotofest shows off pieces, includinghand-carried treasures

Mark Klett, Dusk .357, 2004, toned silver gelatin print, printed in 2010,Edition 12/20, signed and titled on front and signed on back, $1,200, donationof the artist
Evgeny Mokhorev, Dina and Misha, 2001, silver gelatin print, Edition 5/20,signed and titled in pencil on back, $2,500, donation of the artist
Richard Mosse, Cigarette at Al Faw Palace, 2009, digital C-print face-mounted toPlexiglas, Edition 1/5, signed and titled in pencil on front, $9,500, donationof the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, N.Y.
Manuel (Ed Hill and Suzanne Bloom), Oliver Twist, 2010, archival pigment print,Edition 4/5, initialed in pencil on front, $1,300, donation of the artists andMoody Gallery
Alexey Titarenko, Untitled (Prison Windows) from the series Time Standing Still,1998, silver gelatin print, Edition 9/15, signed and dated on back, $3,000,donation of the artist and Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York, N.Y.
Andy Freeberg, Stroganov Palace, Russian State Museum, 2008, archival pigmentink, printed in 2011, signed and titled in pencil on back, $4,800, donation ofthe artist and Anya Tish Gallery
Louis Faurer, New York, New York, c. 1947, silver gelatin print, printed in1981, signed and titled in pencil on back, $5,000, anonymous donation
David Levinthal, Untitled from the series Wild West, 1989, archival pigmentprint on Hahnemühle fine art paper, printed in 2009, Edition 8/10, signed inpencil on front, $1,500, donation of the artist

As its 2012 Biennial creeps closer and closer, FotoFest is now offering a sneak peek of work that will be available at its renowned International Fine Art Prints Auction on March 20.

Covering two floors of the Gremillion & Company galleries in Rice Village, the preview show (which runs through March 13) concentrates on Russian photo artists as well photographers from Asia, the Americas and other portions of Europe.

Along with FotoFest founders Wendy Watriss and Fred Baldwin, photography curators Anne Tucker of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Irina Chmyreva from the Russian Academy of Arts, led a group of more than two dozen collectors on a tour of highlights from the upcoming prints auction last Thursday.

"Fred [Baldwin] and I have been working in Russia for a long time," FotoFest co-founder Wendy Watriss said, " and we feel there is extremely good work that never makes it to the market."

"These are all handpicked prints, mostly from artists we have shown in the past or have commissioned in some way," Watriss told the crowd, noting that a number of works actually were hand-carried from Russia.

Though the Internet has allowed international cultural trends to permeate the Russian art scene, many artists of the former Soviet countries find it challenging to have their work shown outside their own country, primarily due to the high cost of travel.

"Fred and I have been working in Russia for a long time," Watriss said, "and we feel there is extremely good work that never makes it to the market.

"More than half of the work here is international and many pieces you simply never would get except through FotoFest. A number of these artists work through rather obscure galleries while others don't have galleries at all."

Revenues and proceeds from the Fine Print Auction benefit FotoFest's outreach efforts like Literacy Through Photography (LTP), a classroom-based education program for Houston-area public schools. Each year, LTP provides more than 1,000 cameras for use in a FotoFest-design curriculum aimed at improving communication skills.

In most cases, Watriss notes, the prints have been donated by the artists themselves as a gesture of support for the organization's broader commitment to photography and the photo-related arts.

The auction preview will be on display at Gremillion through March 13, when the works will be transported in preparation for the International Fine Art Prints Auction at the downtown Houston DoubleTree on March 20. Click for details.

This year's Biennial opens with a public reception March 16, 2012 at FotoFest’s Vine Street building. Visit the organization's website for more information on programming, including the 60-plus additional Biennial exhibits spaces located throughout the city this spring.

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Concert News

Buzzy R&B artist Khalid brings summer back to Houston on 2026 tour

Photo courtesy of Khalid

Khalid is coming to Houston in June 2026.

Texas R&B and pop artist Khalid is hitting the road for his 2026 It's Always Summer Somewhere Tour, including a stop at the 713 Music Hall in downtown Houston on June 18, 2026.

The 25-date tour starts in Las Vegas, Nevada, in May and ends in Berkeley, California, in June. In addition to the Houston date, he'll stop in Irving on June 17 and Austin on June 19. He appears to be skipping his adopted hometown of El Paso, where his family moved when he was in high school and where he started his music career.

The 27-year-old artist originally became known as a teenager on SoundCloud, resulting in several notable features and the critically acclaimed album American Teen. Since those days, he's had features on tracks by Marshmello, Billie Eilish, Halsey, and Normani, among others. He's released four albums in total, including 2025's After the Sun Goes Down.

Khalid has been nominated to many notable awards and won at least 20, including five at the Billboard Music Awards in 2020 and Best New Artist at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. He's had six Grammy nominations so far.

Pop singer Lauv, known for the breakout hit "I Like Me Better," will join Khalid for all stops on the tour.

Tickets are available now in an artist pre-sale. The general on sale will start Friday, December 12, at 10 am via khalidofficial.com.

It's Always Summer Somewhere Tour dates

Sat May 16 – Las Vegas, NV – PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Mon May 18 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Wed May 20 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Thu May 21 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
Sat May 23 – Hershey, PA – GIANT Center
Sun May 24 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Tue May 26 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Thu May 28 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
Fri May 29 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sun May 31 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Wed Jun 03 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Thu Jun 04 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Sat Jun 06 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater
Sun Jun 07 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at Highmark Mann
Tue Jun 09 – Portsmouth, VA – Portsmouth Pavilion
Wed Jun 10 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Fri Jun 12 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
Mon Jun 15 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
Wed Jun 17 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Thu Jun 18 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Fri Jun 19 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park
Sun Jun 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Mon Jun 22 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Wed Jun 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
Fri Jun 26 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre*

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Concert News

Buzzy R&B artist Khalid brings summer back to Houston on 2026 tour