Les Rencontres d’Arles open on July 7th. As a preview, this week is dedicated to the event. Françoise de Panafieu, president of Les Rencontres d’Arles, presents the 56th edition as follows.
The 2024 edition of Les Rencontres d’Arles was a historic success, with a record 160,000 visitors over the whole season. During the opening week, we welcomed 20,000 people, half of whom came from abroad, confirming the international dimension of our event. More than just a festival, the Rencontres d’Arles is a crossroads for exchange and sharing, a space where photography engages in dialogue with cultures from all over the world. We’re also delighted with the rebirth of the Off, which complements the abundance of events put on by Arles’ cultural stakeholders and reinforces the city’s exceptional artistic and local vitality.
The enthusiastic response from the public has led us to acquire the Maison des arènes, which will enable the festival to reach out all year round to all kinds of audiences, with the aim of sharing photography and promoting inclusion.
The 2025 edition is part of a profound and committed evolution. For several years now, we’ve been making image education a fundamental pillar of our work. Now we’re continuing this momentum by placing issues of inclusion and social cohesion at the heart of the festival. The program run in partnership with France Alzheimer illustrates this commitment to helping the most vulnerable members of society, while strengthening connections between generations. These themes will be at the heart of the Back to School in Images 2025.
Supporting people into employment is also a major focus of our initiatives. The training of reception staff and the development of schemes to facilitate access to employment in the cultural sector are fully in line with our desire to use art and culture as vehicles for emancipation and social inclusion.
None of this would be possible without the invaluable support of our public and private partners. Our most sincere thanks go to the Ministry of Culture, the Sud Region, the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, the City of Arles and our patrons and partners. We would also like to thank the media for their vital support, as well as Christoph Wiesner, Aurélie de Lanlay, Agnès Benichou and the entire festival team, whose commitment and passion allow the Rencontres d’Arles to reach far beyond our borders.
Françoise de Panafieu
President of Les Rencontres d’Arles
Arles 2025 : Disobedient Images
56th edition is from july 7 to october 5.
Opening week is from july 7 to 13.
https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en
https://www.rencontres-arles.com/en/expositions
https://billetterie.rencontres-arles.com/prestation/Expositions.html?process=2#
