From Caldas da Rainha to Lisbon, F/262 expands its presence with an exhibition presented at the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, following an invitation from the President of Portugal, António José Seguro.

The Associação F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais is proud to announce the presentation of They Fight for Us Too at the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, in Lisbon, from 17 September to 31 December 2026, as part of F/262 – International Photography Festival.

The presentation marks an important new chapter for F/262. Originally rooted in Caldas da Rainha, the festival is now extending its programme beyond its home territory through F/262 Beyond the Festival, bringing its exhibitions, artists and ideas to new places and audiences.

This Lisbon presentation is particularly significant. Following the visit of the President of the Portuguese Republic, António José Seguro, to the exhibition in Caldas da Rainha, and his recognition of the importance of the project and the work of the Ukrainian photographers, They Fight for Us Too now reaches the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic. During his visit, the President was guided through the exhibition by its curator, João Carlos, who presented the curatorial concept and the role of photography as a tool for memory, testimony and civic responsibility.

The President also issued a message dedicated to the exhibition, recognising the power of photography to confront indifference and preserve the memory of those affected by war.

Photography as testimony

They Fight for Us Too brings together the work of photographers from the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), documenting the war in Ukraine from the front lines and from the communities living through its consequences.

The photographs bear witness to destruction, loss and displacement, but also to resilience, dignity and hope. They document a conflict through the people who experience it, preserving moments that might otherwise disappear into the flow of daily news.

For F/SOS, this is at the heart of its mission: to use photography not only as an artistic language, but also as a means of solidarity, testimony, memory and social responsibility.

The exhibition is curated by João Carlos, Artistic Director of F/262 – International Photography Festival and Director of F/SOS, who developed the Portuguese presentation in close collaboration with the Ukrainian and Portuguese partners.

Photography and literature

For its presentation in Portugal, the exhibition also brings together photography and literature.

Five Portuguese writers, Ana Bárbara Pedrosa, Ana Margarida de Carvalho, Gonçalo M. Tavares, Julieta Monginho and Rui Couceiro, were invited to respond to photographs from the exhibition.

Rather than explaining or describing the images, their texts establish an independent dialogue with them, creating new paths between image and word, testimony and imagination, present experience and collective memory.

In this encounter, the photograph preserves the instant while literature allows that instant to continue to resonate.

From Caldas da Rainha to Lisbon

The presentation at the Museum of the Presidency represents more than a new venue for an existing exhibition. It reflects the development of F/262 Beyond the Festival, an initiative through which F/262 seeks to take photography beyond the geographical and temporal boundaries of the festival itself.

From its base in Caldas da Rainha, F/262 is building connections with institutions, communities and cultural spaces across Portugal and internationally, creating new opportunities for photography to reach different audiences.

The move to Lisbon, and specifically to the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, represents an important recognition of this mission.

For F/SOS, it is also a moment of particular significance: an exhibition created around the testimony of Ukrainian photographers, produced in Portugal through an independent association dedicated to photography and social action, now enters one of the country’s most significant institutional spaces.

Exhibition information

They Fight for Us Too
F/262 Beyond the Festival

17 September – 31 December 2026

Museum of the Presidency of the Republic
Permanent exhibition space, Lisbon

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 10:00–17:30
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:30

Admission: Included in the Museum ticket

Languages: Portuguese and Ukrainian

The exhibition is organised by the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic and F/262 – International Photography Festival, with production by F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais, sponsorship from TEKEVER, and in partnership with Lens op de Mens International Photo Festival Pelt.

Some of the photographs presented contain sensitive content relating to war, death, destruction and human suffering and may cause emotional discomfort.