The 57th edition of the Rencontres d'Arles, the iconic photography festival, is underway until 4 October 2026, presenting images of dogs, diners, UFOs and more under five thematic pillars: independence, journeys, forms of life, revisits and uncertain archive.
Independence: Ghana and Ivory Coast
The independence show opens with Ghana: An African Portrait (1976) by Paul Strand, documenting Ghana's post-independence era after 6 March 1957, when the Gold Coast became the first sub-Saharan African country to break free from British colonial rule. The exhibition includes Samuel JK Essoun's Shama, Ghana, 1964, a portrait of a cyclist.
Photoromance, the first major solo exhibition in France for Ivorian photographer Paul Kodjo, explores the photo novel genre. Shot in public spaces and domestic interiors, these works reflect the country's social and economic transformations during the 'Ivorian miracle', a period of prosperity in the 1960s and 1970s.
James Barnor, a pioneer of Ghanaian photography now aged 96, is celebrated for his service to a new generation of African photographers. The third edition of the James Barnor prize, dedicated to Southern Africa, will announce its winner on 8 July.
Ayana V. Jackson's series To Be Black and Female in the Spanish South-West deconstructs 19th and 20th century portraiture to interrogate the colonial gaze and its role in shaping racial and gendered identities.
Forms of Life: Animals and Nature
The Animal Model exhibition takes visitors on a voyage through two centuries of images, revealing how photography has shaped views of animals. It includes Masahisa Fukase's Erimo Cape, Ravens (1976), William Wegman's Break Out (1995), and Pieter Hugo's Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara (2007). The exhibition is built around six perspectives: anatomical, performative, emotional, fascinated, ethical, aesthetic and viral gaze.
Nature features Edward Steichen's Grasshopper and Wheat Stalk (circa 1920), reflecting his deep fascination with nature. Lisa Oppenheim's Monsieur Steichen offers a subjective portrait of the Luxembourg-born American photographer, exploring his passion for flowers, textile designs and colour photography experiments.
Flower Power presents contemporary interpretations of floral themes, including Alice Pallot's Oasis Foam Soaked with Water/Cabomba (2019). Upwelling by Meghann Riepenhoff considers the complex nature of relationships to landscape, referencing both oceanic processes and emotional momentum.
Uncertain Archive: UFOs and Anonymous Images
We are not Alone explores UFO photography, from Eduard Albert 'Billy' Meier's 1975 Pleiadian spacecraft image to Sacha Goldberger's Invasion Day One. Dawn (2018). The exhibition includes archival documents and contemporary works, navigating the realm of 'alien images' where fiction and reality intertwine.
Being There by Lee Shulman and Omar Victor Diop assembles fragments of life from 1950s and 1960s North American family albums, introducing a black presence where one would have been historically impossible.
Journeys and Revisits
Distant Dreams from the FNAC photographic collection includes Cristina García Rodero's Twins, Amoeiro, Galicia, Spain (1986). The collection, assembled since 1978, holds 1,800 prints at the Musée Nicéphore Niépce.
This Way to Heaven marks the centenary of William Klein's birth, showcasing his photographs, paintings, films and drawings. Klein portrays the visual spectacle of mass media and power systems, dismantling the mechanics of press and television images.
Soul of the City features Martine Barrat's photographs of Harlem, capturing street life with respect and commitment. Harry Gruyaert's A Sense of Place takes viewers through cities including New York, Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, Antwerp, Mumbai and Zanzibar, unified by vibrant colour and sharp shadows.
Ming Smith's Wandering Light foregrounds softness and movement, with blurred contours and spectral figures that feel remembered rather than recorded.
Work Under Tension: Electricity and Industry
Vigilance: Work Under Tension presents photographs commissioned by the Société pour le Développement des Applications de l'Électricité (SODEL), established after the war to promote electricity use. Pierre Bérenger's Splinting a Forearm Fracture Using a Paper Magazine (1963) is among the images celebrating major engineering projects.
