The non-profit association Internationale Photoszene Köln exists to promote art photography, its aim being to permanently strengthen Cologne as a location for photography.

For more than 30 years, the Photoszene-Festival organised by the association has been taking place biannually, alongside the photokina fair. Museums, galleries, and other renowned institutions from the Cologne region present their photo exhibitions within this context.

Cologne as a location is an important base for artistic and scientific dialogue on photography. The medium has many and varied areas of use. Applying an art history focus, the university conducts research on the history and theory of photography; the art university pushes the boundaries of imaging and expands photography into intermedia processes; major galleries represent internationally renowned artists; important museum collections ensure the medium's longevity and preservation and showcase varied exhibitions; exhibition spaces on the independent scene put current trends on display; photokina fair of KölnMesse is bringing together international companies and producers, photo archives document the diverse areas of use; the German Photographic Society (DGPh) has been promoting photography at its branches for many decades.

With its new focus, Photoszene intends to keep this enormous potential visible beyond the biennial Festival. It will do so through the magazine L.Fritz, published twice annually, and through events and projects that will reflect the Festival internationally. The context of this reflection is an artistic one: the focal points of the examination are the photographic image and its inclusion in artistic, documentary or applied contexts.