Anonymity Explored at Rencontres d'Arles 2001

The 2001 Rencontres de la photographie in Arles, France, running from July 4 to August 19, examined the theme of anonymity in photography. Curated under the direction of Gilles Mora for the third and final time, the festival featured multiple exhibitions that dissected the concept of the anonymous subject. Luc Delahaye presented large-scale portraits of Paris metro users, transforming anonymous individuals into identifiable figures through scale and installation. David Rosenfeld's 'Enquête d'identité' explored identity through costume and gesture with a single model. Other highlights included Camille Vivier's uniforms for first jobs, Carole Fékété's abstract compositions of colored dishcloths, and Olga Chernysheva's photographs of Muscovites in chrysanthemum-shaped hats. Stéphane Couturier contributed images of buildings, while a selection of Garry Winogrand's 1960s street photography from New York, London, and Paris was a major draw. James Casebere showed hyperrealistic architectural models, and Peter Lindbergh presented unconventional fashion photography. A historical exhibition titled 'Sacs contre sac' documented how cathedrals and monuments were protected with sandbags during the two world wars, creating surreal, proto-postmodern imagery. The Collection Lambert's exhibition offered a multidisciplinary approach that broke conventions and transformed spaces into lived environments. Bernard Marcelis reviewed the festival for artpress.