A myriad of people are waiting, sitting on the steps, perched against a wall, for the Arles community hall to open its doors. It’s 10:00 a.m., and Marie Andrieu, the portfolio review manager, finally opens, welcoming the various participants with her team. “This morning, there are 64 people, half of whom are experts and the other half photographers,” she explains. In total, 395 photographers have registered for these portfolio reviews this year. There are more than 3,000 appointments over five days. Participation in the portfolio reviews is paid: 200 euros for five appointments and 550 euros for twenty appointments. “There are people from all over the world… Korea, Argentina, Finland…” explains the manager. Not far from her, Nicole came from California. She lives north of San Francisco and is coming to the Rencontres d’Arles to present her personal work for the first time.
At LUMA, a short distance away, a small group of visitors crosses the portico of the exhibition dedicated to Yves Saint Laurent and photography. The exhibition’s curator, also director of the MEP in Paris, Simon Baker, leads the tour. He explains how he worked on the fashion designer’s archives and created this stroll around the iconic face of YSL, photographed by some of the biggest names in the fashion world, past and present, such as Jeanloup Sieff, Horst P. Horst, and Juergen Teller. As they leave the exhibition, many visitors linger over the array of photography books presented as part of the 2025 Author Book Prize.
Not far from the Théâtre antique of Arles, on Rue de la Calade, Gallery Huit is hosting a unique exhibition this year of images by photographer June Newton, aka Alice Springs. The wife of photographer Helmut Newton created numerous black and white portraits of celebrities, which hang in this magnificent space. The exhibition concludes with a series of advertising photographs for the razor brand Gillette. Begun by Helmut Newton, it was completed by June two days after her husband’s death, wishing to finish his work and see the commission through to the end.
Numerous parties took place that evening, particularly in the Roquette district, renowned for its unforgettable evenings. The Picto photo lab celebrated its 75th anniversary with an exhibition in which artists explored the notions of memory, ruin, and family breakdown through a contrasting approach.
Jean-Baptiste Gauvin
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
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