The Cpa presents Les temps modernes. Palawan, Philippines by Pierre de Vallombreuse. An invitation to travel to the heart of a lush, wild valley, to meet the Tau’t Batu. The exhibition offers a contemporary look at the last twelve years of this valley. Pierre de Vallombreuse bears witness to the upheaval in the ways of life and to the ecosystem now subjected to irreversible change.
In 1988, Pierre de Vallombreuse discovered the island of Palawan for the first time, in the southwest of the Philippines. It is home to the Tau’t Batu, or “people of the rocks,” who live in symbiosis with their natural environment. Fascinated by this Indigenous community, the photographer returned again and again to this valley of prodigious beauty. After ten years away, he reconnected in 2012 to the friendships forged there and has never stopped coming back since. Through photographs imbued with poetry, Pierre de Vallombreuse shows us ways of life that are now under threat. Across 23 journeys, he has documented over the long term the profound changes reshaping the valley and its inhabitants. Images made by the Tau’t Batu enter into dialogue with the photographer’s own, accompanied by immersive sounds from a singular territory. The exhibition thus offers a striking account of the recent transformations of an ecosystem threatened by the growing power of large-scale agriculture and by the rise of extractivism already affecting the island.
Witness to the future of Indigenous peoples
For more than 40 years, Pierre de Vallombreuse has documented the lives of Indigenous peoples, building a unique photographic corpus devoted to 43 peoples in constant evolution. His work has received prestigious awards and has been shown, notably, at the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, the Musée du quai Branly, and the Musée de l’Homme in Paris.
Les temps modernes, the book
Pierre de Vallombreuse is publishing Les temps modernes (Éditions Odyssée – February 2026). In images, from black and white to color, he tells the story that has bound him intimately to the valley for 40 years—and, more particularly, the changes of recent years. The Cpa, a partner of the book, is pleased to present it in its space as the exhibition catalogue. A touring version of the exhibition will also be offered staerting in 2027, allowing the project to travel beyond the Cpa’s borders.
Exhibition
Pierre de Vallombreuse : Les temps modernes. Palawan, Philippines
27 February – 20 September 2026
Cpa
14 Rue Louis Gallet
26000 Valence, France
www.le-cpa.com
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday: 10am–1pm / 2pm–6pm
Saturday and Sunday: 2pm–6pm Except public holidays, 26 June and 22–28 December 2025
Prices
€5 / €4* / Free for under-25s and students
Book
Pierre de Vallombreuse : Les temps modernes
published by Odyssée
96 pages
60 photographs
color and black and white
Format: 13.5 x 18 cm
Paperback, hardcover
Language: French
Publication date: February 2026
Original edition
ISBN: 978-2-494767-53-9
Price: €19
https://www.editionsodyssee.com/lestempsmodernes
