The beautiful town of Arles in Southern France is best known for its association with painters such as Van Gogh and Gauguin – for its shimmering light and authentic provencal culture.
The town also plays host for the world’s longest running and prestigious photography festival that runs from July to September each year.
During this period many of the towns charming galleries, churches, halls etc. are transformed into major exhibition spaces for top photography from all over the world. Klein, Parr, Lebowitz et al have all had major exhibitions here in recent years. The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, informal and organised.
With over 50 top class exhibitions and a thriving fringe on offer, the event provides a feast of creative photography across all genres. From Mary Ellen Mark to Lee Friedlander, Sophie Calle to a history of conceptual photography, there is something for everyone – almost too much to take in and you will need to be selective.
The event is partly sponsored by the French ministry of culture and is professional and accessible. Both website and app are well designed and user focused.
The annual festival secures Arles as a centre for photography in France, Europe and increasingly worldwide.
Most galleries are open from 10am to 8pm and are spread around the town which is easily accessed on foot, there are a number of talks, bookshops etc. enough to keep everyone happy and engaged. There are also two main festival information centres which I found very useful.
Personal highlights included the documentary work of Mary Ellen Mark, the more creative urban landscapes of Lee Friedlander as well as Sophie Calles ‘Blind’ project.
Compilations such as the past 30 years of Conceptual Documentary photography from Astrid Ullens de Schooten Whettnall’s collection and a focus on the history of Graffiti in the ‘All in the Name of the Name’ exhibition were both captivating and educational.
If you are a photography lover and have not made it the Arles for the festival the you are definitely missing out on one of the great photography events. I would recommend spending as much time there as you can and being selective in your choices, there is a danger of photo overload. Can you have too much of a good thing?
The ‘Rencontres d’Arles’ runs from July to September each year
https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en
Feature image.
Alfred Latour. Untitled, circa 1930
