Rencontres d'Arles 2026 Highlights Five Photography Shows
The 57th edition of Rencontres d'Arles, running summer 2026 across over 40 venues in Arles, France, presents photography exhibitions that explore themes of ephemerality, fame, race, urban life, and colonial legacy. Alix Boillot's 'Farewell Beauty' features snow sculptures of Doric columns inspired by Vitruvius's 'De architectura', emphasizing beauty alone. Paul McCartney's '1963-64: Eyes of the Storm' displays over 250 images from his personal archive documenting The Beatles' rise to global stardom. Lee Schulman and Omar Victor Diop's 'Being Here' inserts Diop into 1950s-60s North American snapshots to comment on racial segregation. Harry Gruyaert's 'A Sense of Place' chronicles urban life across Antwerp, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Zanzibar through vibrant color and shadow. Sammy Baloji's 'Landscape Lens: a Katangese Crossing' examines colonial modernity in Katanga, focusing on the Hotel Impala in Holwezi, drawing on family history and research with anthropologist Filip De Boeck.
Key facts
- Rencontres d'Arles 2026 is the 57th edition.
- The festival takes place at more than 40 venues in Arles, France.
- Alix Boillot sculpts Doric columns in snow as a response to Vitruvius's 'De architectura'.
- Paul McCartney's exhibition includes over 250 images from his 35mm film archive.
- Lee Schulman and Omar Victor Diop's project inserts a Black presence into 1950s-60s North American photographs.
- Harry Gruyaert's exhibition covers cities including Antwerp, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Zanzibar.
- Sammy Baloji's work focuses on the Hotel Impala in Holwezi, Katanga.
- Baloji collaborated with anthropologist Filip De Boeck in 2017 to retrace the Katanga secession.
Entities
Artists
- Alix Boillot
- Paul McCartney
- Lee Schulman
- Omar Victor Diop
- Harry Gruyaert
- Sammy Baloji
- Filip De Boeck
- Vitruvius
- George Harrison
- Paul Kodjo
- Katia Kameli
- Felicia Abban
- James Barnor
- Willis E. Bell
- Efua T. Sutherland
- Denyse Gawu-Mensah
- Carlos Idun Tawiah
- Rita Mawuena Benissan
- Manuela Nebuloni
- Maame Abena Osaah Asamoah
- Marc Riboud
- Paul Strand
- Bruno Boudjelal
- Marie-Claude Deffarge
- Gordian Troeller
- Lisa Oppenheim
- Edward Steichen
- Fernand Denis
- Martine Barrat
- Ellen Stewart
- Félix Guattari
- Ming Smith
- Lee Shulman
- Eduard Albert 'Billy' Meier
- Silas Bahr
- David De Beyter
- Caryline Boreham
- Yves Bosson
- Erik Bullot
- Jean-Yves Casgha
- Gui Christ
- Douglas Curran
- Sébastien Duijndam
- Sacha Goldberger
- Mallory Lowe Mpoka
- Kwame Nkrumah
- Pearl
Institutions
- Rencontres d'Arles
- Aesthetica Magazine
- MPL Archive LLP
- ADAGP
- Galerie Imane Farès
- MAMEDIS (Mass Media Service)
- in camera galerie
- galerie Clémentine de la Féronnière
- Musée Folkwang
- Centre national de l'audiovisuel
- Ingrid Becker-Ross
- Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
- MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
- Whitney Museum
- Galerie Rouge
- NASA
- Archives for the unexplained (AFU)
- Centre d'archives et de recherches exotiques (CARE)
- Collection Agence Martienne
- Collection Allis Druffel
- Collection François Louange
- Collection Gordon Macdonald
- Collection Philippe Baudouin
- Sauvegarde et Conservation des Études et Archives Ufologiques (SCEAU)
- Service historique de la Défense
- Fondation Louis Roederer
- Occurence
- Musée des Beaux-Arts du Canada
Locations
- Arles
- France
- Antwerp
- Moscow
- Mumbai
- New York
- Paris
- Tokyo
- Zanzibar
- Katanga
- Holwezi
- DRC
- Angola
- Los Angeles
- USA
- Miami Beach
- North America
- Abidjan
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Algeria
- Ghana
- Accra
- Bamako
- Gabon
- Tanger
- Le Cap
- Italy
- Iran
- Yemen
- Brazil
- Essen
- Germany
- Luxembourg
- United States
- Lower East Side
- Harlem
- South Bronx
- Rome
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Montreal
- Canada
- Ottawa
- Vincennes