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Arles: Les Rencontres d’Arles 2018 programme

It’s the biggest and best-respected photo festival in the world – it’s Arles and it’s back from 02 July-23 September, with a special opening week from 02-08 July. With the blessing of the French Minister of Culture François Nyssen – who declares that “Arles wouldn’t be Arles without photography” in her welcome to the festival – the 49th year of the festival is lead by director Sam Stourdzé, who took over its organisation in October 2014.

As you might expect, the momentous events of May 1968 are commemorated at Arles this year, with a group of exhibitions titled Run Comrade, The Old World is Behind You. Considering events such as the student demonstrations and strikes in France, and the assassination of Robert F Kennedy that year, this section includes shows such as 1968, What a Story! which uses previously unseen images from police archives, Paris Match and Gamma-Rapho-Keystone.

May 6, 1968 demonstration. Articles on the students’ barricades Memory and Cultural Affairs Department. Courtesy of the Paris Prefecture of Police. From the exhibition 1968, What a Story! In the Run Comrade, The Old World is Behind You section in the official programme

Elsewhere Arles looks to the future with a group of shows titled Augmented Humanity which includes work by Cristina de Middel & Bruno Morais, Matthieu Gafsou, Jonas Bendiksen and The Hobbyist; and in the Emergences section, which includes the ten photographers included in the New Discovery Award this year – Sinzo Aanza, Monica Alcazar-Duarte, Christto & Andrew, Anne Golas, Chandan Gomes, Thomas Hauser, Anton Roland Laub, Ali Mobasser, Paulien Oltheten, and Wiktoria Wojciechowska. This section also includes Feng Li’s series White Night, images from which were published as an acclaimed photobook last year, and Aurore Valade’s Intimate Revolts.

The section titled Platforms of the Visible – New Approaches to Documentary Photography includes work by Michael Christopher Brown, Gregor Sailer and Christophe Loiseau, while documentary photography also figures in a section called The World As It Is, which includes an exhibition of contemporary photography from Turkey titled A Pillar of Smoke that features work by Cagdas Erdogan. Work from Grozy by Olga Kravets, Maria Morina, and Oksana Yushko also features in The World As It Is.

Cleaning ladies wash away blood from the stairs of the parliament building in Grozny after four suicide bombers detonated their explosives, killing three other people on October 19, 2010. Courtesy of Olga Kravets, Maria Morina & Oksana Yushko. From the exhibition Grozny, Nine Cities in the World As It Is section in the official programme.

Big names in photography feature in the section America Great Again! which includes images of the USA by Raymond Depardon and Robert Frank, and Paul Graham’s show The Whiteness of the Whale, which was first shown in Pier 24 in San Francisco in August 2014, and which includes the three bodies of work Graham shot in America from 1998-2011 – American Night, a shimmer of possibility and The Present. René Burri and William Wegman, meanwhile, have solo shows in the Stylistic Figures section.

The Luma Foundation also adds big names in its section in the Associated Programme, including exhibitions by Gilbert & George and Pipilotti Rist, while Olympus Carte Blanche presents an exhibition by Todd Hido. Wolfgang Tillmans, meanwhile, is included in the off-site Grand Arles Express, which sees the festival take up residence in nearby cities such as Nîmes, Avignon, and Marseilles.

Paul Graham, New Orleans, from the a shimmer of possibility series, 2003-2006. Courtesy of the Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York; Carlier | Gebauer, Berlin; Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London. From the exhibition Paul Graham – The Whiteness of the Whale, in the America Great Again! section in the official programme

Back in Arles, the Arles Books section includes the publications shortlisted for The 2018 Book Awards and for the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award, as well as a presentation by Cosmos-Arles Books titled Current Publishing Trends. The winners of both awards will be announced during the opening week, which includes a programme of events held at night, Les Nuits De La Photographie, encompassing screenings, talks, and parties.

The opening week also includes a series of free talks and debates featuring photographers from the 2018 festival plus professionals from the photography industry, and free exhibition tours by the photographers and curators involved. The opening week also includes photography workshops and a portfolio review – the winner of which will show their work at the 2019 Rencontres d’Arles.

Tickets for the Rencontres d’Arles can be bought at a reduced rate in advance online, with seven-day opening week badges starting at €48. For more information visit rencontres-arles.com

Robert Frank, New York City, 1950. Courtesy of the artist and Collection Fotostiftung Schweiz. From the exhibition Robert Frank – Sidelines in the America Great Again! section in the official programme
Raymond Depardon, Sioux City, Iowa, 1968. Courtesy of Raymond Depardon/Magnum Photos. From the exhibition Raymond Depardon – Depardon USA, 1968-1999 in the America Great Again! section in the official programme
Taysir Batniji, from the Home Away from Home series, 2017. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Taysir Batniji – gaza to America, Home Away from Home in the America Great Again! section in the official programme
Laura Henno, Ethan, Slab city (USA), 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire. From the exhibition Laura Henno – Redemption in the America Great Again! section in the official programme
Cristina de Middel & Bruno Morais, Untitled from the Midnight at the Crossroads series, Benin, 2016. Courtesy of the artists. From the exhibition Cristina de Middel & Bruno Morais – Midnight in the Crossroads in the Augmented Humanity section in the official programme
Matthieu Gafsou. Neil Harbisson considers himself a cyborg. Suffering from achromatopsy, a rare form of color blindness, he had a prosthesis called Eyeborg implanted into his skull that senses colors and converts them into sound waves. Harbisson pleads for the enhancement of human creativity and sometimes distances himself from transhumanism, deeming it too stuck in stereotyped or commercial representations. His vision is more that of an artist than a disciple of technoscience. He takes pride in being the first human to appear with his prosthesis on his passport photo. Munich, July 15, 2015. Courtesy of the artist, Galerie C and MAPS. From the exhibition Matthieu Gafsou – H+ in the Augmented Humanity section in the official programme
Eckhard Schaar, Bodybuilder, 1993. From the exhibition The Hobbyist – Looking for Passion in the Augmented Humanity section in the official programme
Photogram from Pierrot le fou, de Jean-Luc Godard, 1965. Courtesy of STUDIOCANAL, Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie and Dino De Laurentis Cinematographica, S.P.A. (Roma). From the exhibition Godard & Picasso – Collage(s) in the Dialogues section in the official programme
Jane Evelyn Atwood, Pigalle, Paris, France, 1978-1979. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Jane Evelyn Atwood & Joan Colom – Public Space in the Dialogues section in the official programme
Aurore Valade, The Addictatorship. (Drink and Let Live) Asté, Pyrénées, France, 2017. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Intimate Revolts in the Emergences section in the official programme
Monica Alcazar-Duarte. ‘Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone’ chamber ESTEC-ESA.  Part of ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands, the metal-walled ‘Hybrid European Radio Frequency and Antenna Test Zone’ chamber is shut off from all external influences in order to test large space antennas. 
 Hertz’s internal walls are studded with radio-absorbing ‘anechoic’ foam pyramids, allowing radio-frequency testing without any distorting reflections. In addition, this cladding also absorbs sound – making Hertz an eerily quiet place to work. Courtesy of the artist. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Ali Mobasser, Photographs taken by Lt. General Mohsen Mobasser, Damavand, Iran, 1972. Courtesy of the artist. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Anne Golaz,The work, Corbeau from the Raven series, 2004-2017. Courtesy of the Galerie C. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Anton Roland Laub, New Saint John Church, Bucharest, from the Mobile Churches series, 2013-2017. Courtesy of the artist. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Chandan Gomes, Sans titre, 2017. Avec l’aimable autorisation de l’artiste et de PHOTOINK. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Christto & Andrew, Transhuman Existence I., 2018. Courtesy of the artists and METRONOM. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Paulien Oltheten, Square, La Défense, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and gallery Les Filles du Calvaire. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Sinzo Aanza, Épreuve d’Allégories, 2017. Installation of photographs and a stone sculpture. Courtesy of the artist and Imane Farès Gallery. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Thomas Hauser, The Wake of Dust (Jules), 2015. Courtesy of the artist. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Wiktoria Wokciechowska, The squad of nine killed and eight wounded, from the series of Golden Collages – Sparks, collage on picture from a soldier’s mobile phone’s, 2015-2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the New Discovery Awards, Emergences section in the official programme
Feng Li, White Night, Chengdu, 2017. From the Emergences section in the official programme
Julien Creuzet, Preparatory sketch for the Hot Corn Marlboro project. From the exhibition Maïs Chaud Marlboro in the Emergences section in the official programme
Lucas Olivet, Michal’s ceiling, 2013. Courtesy of Espace Jörg Brockmann. From the exhibition Kopiec Bonawentura, in the Emergences section in the official programme
Christophe Loiseau, Christophe G., 4/20/16. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Right to the Image, in the Platforms of the Visible – New Approaches to Documentary Photography section in the official programme
Gregor Sailer, Junction City IV, Fort Irwin, US Army, Mojave Desert, California, USA, 2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition The Potemkin Village , in the Platforms of the Visible – New Approaches to Documentary Photography section in the official programme
Michael Christopher Brown, Cuba, 29th November-4th December 2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Yo Soy Fidel in the Platforms of the Visible – New Approaches to Documentary Photography section in the official programme
Paul Fusco/Magnum Photos, Untitled, from the series RFK Funeral Train, 1968. Courtesy of the Danziger Gallery. From the exhibition The Train: RFK’s Last Journey – Paul Fusco, Rein Jelle Terpstra & Philippe Parreno in the Run Comrade, The Old World is Behind You section in the official programme
Tanks from the Esso refinery in Fos-sur-Mer, “aesthetic layout” by the Atelier Jacques Fillacier, 1967 (photograph: Esso/Studio Robert, Martigues). Courtesy of the Fonds Pôle Intercommunal du Patrimoine Culturel, Conseil de Territoire Istres Ouest Provence and the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Area. In the exhibition Paradise! From Fos-sur-Mer to La Grande Motte, between Dreams and Concrete, in the Run Comrade, The Old World is Behind You section in the official programme
Christoph Draeger & Heidrun Holzfeind, From Without and From Within, installation view at Kunstpavillon Innsbruck, 2017. Courtesy of the artists. From the exhibition Auroville Project, in the Run Comrade, The Old World is Behind You section in the official programme
René Burri, Canada, Montreal, 1967. René Burri © Magnum Photos. From the exhibition The Imaginary Pyramids in the Stylistic Figures section in the official programme
William Wegman, Tamino with Magic Flute, 1996. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Being Human, in the Stylistic Figures section in the official programme
Ann Ray, Unfallen Angels I, Paris, 2009. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Lee MacQueen – The Unfinished in the Stylistic Figures section in the official programme
Baptiste Rabichon, 20 rue de l’Yvette, 2017. Courtesy of the artist / Résidence BMW 2017. From the exhibition En Ville, in the Stylistic Figures section in the official programme
Çağdaş Erdoğan, from the Control series, 2015-2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition A Pillar of Smoke – A Look at Turkey’s Contemporary Scene in the The World As It Is section in the official programme.
Yingguang Guo, Untitled, from The Bliss of Conformity series, 2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition The Bliss of Conformity exhibition in the The World As It Is section in the official programme.
Todd Hido, Untitled, #11692-492, 2017. Courtesy of La Galerie Particulière, Paris-Bruxelles. From the Associated Programme
Patrick Willocq, The Bridge Between Peoples/Le pont entre les peuples. In this tableau, the artist shows that migrations are cycles that repeat themselves. In the late 1930s, many people emigrated from Spain to southwest France. Numerous Saint Martorians have Spanish roots. Today, like then, migrants cross the Mediterranean and want to climb up onto the bridge to find refuge in France, the land of asylum, under the protection of Marianne, who has become European. Today, like then, some people reach out to help the newcomers while others staunchly oppose their presence in the village. Everybody in this tableau plays a role: those “for” and “against”, those who reach out and those who turn their backs, the Spanish migrants’ descendants and asylum-seekers willing to re-enact a painful episode in their lives. “I’m not here to judge,” says Willocq, “but to tell a universal story, that of peoples who have been led to live together without asking to.” Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Hope, a collaborative perspective, prsented by the Manuel Rivera Ortiz Foundation in the Associated Programme
Dmitry Markov, Idritsa, Pskov region, 2016. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Hope, a collaborative perspective, prsented by the Manuel Rivera Ortiz Foundation in the Associated Programme
Gilbert & George, BENT SHIT CUNT, 1977. Courtesy Gilbert & George. From the exhibition Gilbert & George: The Great Exhibition, 1971-2016, presented by Luma Foundation in the Associated Programme
Bruno Serralongue, Photographic Record of the Destruction of a Calais Migrant Camp Known as the “National Shantytown” or “New Jungle,” October 24-27, 2016, 2016. Collection Frac Grand Large — Hauts-de-France, photo by Marc Domage. Courtesy of Air de Paris. From the exhibition From Calais presented at Marseille, Frac in the Grand Arles Express
Christian Lutz, from the Tropical Gift series, 2010. Courtesy of the artist. From the exhibition Anatomy of Power, presented at Avignon, Collection Lambert in the Grand Arles Express
Frantisek Pekar, two kids licking their plates, circa 1930-1940. Courtesy of the city of Chalon-sur-Saône, France. Nicéphore Niépce Museum. From the exhibition Eating With Your Eyes presented at Marseille Mucem in the Grand Arles Express
Wolfgang Tillmans, Yulan Grant, 2016. Courtesy of Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris and Galerie Buchholz, Berlin/Cologne. From the exhibition What is Different? presented at Nîmes, Carré d’art in the Grand Arles Express
Diane Smyth

Diane Smyth is the editor of BJP, returning for a second stint on staff in 2023, after 15 years on the team until 2019. She also edits the Photoworks Annual, and has written for The Guardian, FT Weekend Magazine, Aperture, FOAM, and Apollo, plus catalogues and monographs. Diane lectures in photography history and theory at the London College of Communications, and has curated exhibitions for The Photographers Gallery and Lianzhou Foto Festival. Follow her on instagram @dismy