Nicknamed "little Rome" due to the ancient monuments, Arles is a picturesque town in Provence, noted as part of Vincent van Gogh's history. But it is also where a particularly special event for all photography enthusiasts has been taking place every summer since the 1970s. The Rencontres d'Arles Festival is a truly unique visual interpretation of a changing world.
The fact that the photographers and curators come from various environments, the immensely rich programme delves into how the medium of photography is changing and what subjects photographers are interested in. But the Festival's uniqueness lies not only in the great number of exhibitions and the diversity of showcased projects, but also in the spaces they are presented in - from 12th-century chapels and cloisters to 19th-century industrial and contemporary buildings. To get into one of the exhibition spaces, one needs to go through Monoprix, a functioning department store - a perfect example of how the city lives through photography, with the everyday filled with art.
This year's 56th edition, taking place from July 7 to October 5, is focused on the diversity of cultures, identities, and genders, showcasing projects by artists from Australia to Brazil, North America, and the Caribbean. The projects presented at the festival are set to be in contrast to the image of a world increasingly dominated by nationalism, nihilism, and environmental crises. As such, many works also addressed the subject of diverse bonds shaped by social, cultural, and political dynamics - works by both emerging and established artists. For the latter, these showcases aim to offer a fresh perspective, present a different point of view than before, or supplement it with new discoveries.
Hence, we will take a look at the topic of reinterpretation - a new perspective on photographers who achieved mastery in working with the medium and composing frames (Louis Stettner, Letizia Battaglia) in the past. There are also various ways of working with archives (vernacular photography, Agnès Geoffray, Batia Suter), as well as intimate perspectives, focusing on personal life (Diana Markosian, Jean-Michel Andre). In contrast, there is inspiration from an old photographic project aimed at describing the reality of a particular society (Anna Fox, Karen Knorr). Black humour and irony in the assessment of reality (Kourtney Roy) are not missing, either. While a fresh look at the developing relationship between the world of fashion and photography is provided by an archive with an insight into the figure of Yves Saint Laurent. Also, the theme of the search for identity is developed by Brandon Gercara.
Here's our carefully curated selection of the artists worth paying attention to, chosen from the rich programme, portraying the very core of the Festival - the language and themes of contemporary photography.
