Arles Photography Festival 2006: Depardon's Curatorial Vision
The 2006 Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in Arles, France, from July 4 to September 17, featured a dual program curated by Raymond Depardon and local institutions. Depardon's section comprised three parts: 'Influences' (homage to American photography from French collections), 'Compagnons de route' (twelve photographers including Gilles Caron, Don McCullin, Susan Meiselas, Dominique Issermann, Daniel Angeli), and 'Photographes du politique et de la société' (emerging talents like Jean-Christophe Béchet, Cyrus Cornut, Laurent Guenau). Notable exhibitions included David Goldblatt's work on South Africa, Paul Graham's social fractures in the US, and Anders Petersen's 1970s series on Gap and Saint-Étienne. Local venues presented shows by Jean Le Gac, Paolo Ventura, Laurenzo Castore at Le Méjan; Georges Rousse at Musée Réattu; and a regional heritage commission at Abbaye de Montmajour featuring Jordi Bernardo, John Davies, Bernard Plossu, Massimo Vitali. Fifteen photographers competed for three prizes (Dialogue de l'humanité, No Limit, Découverte), including Alessandra Sanguinetti, Carla Van De Puttelaar, Isabelle Hayeur, Ricky Davila, Wang Qingsong, Tom Hunter, Claudia Fährenkemper. Depardon advocated for a 'plural photography' granting photographers dual status as authors and artists.
Key facts
- Event dates: July 4 to September 17, 2006
- Location: Arles, France, multiple venues
- Guest curator: Raymond Depardon
- Depardon's program divided into three sections: Influences, Compagnons de route, Photographes du politique et de la société
- Influences section featured American photography from French collections
- Compagnons de route included Gilles Caron, Don McCullin, Susan Meiselas, Dominique Issermann, Daniel Angeli
- Photographes du politique et de la société included Jean-Christophe Béchet, Cyrus Cornut, Laurent Guenau
- Local exhibitions: Jean Le Gac, Paolo Ventura, Laurenzo Castore at Le Méjan; Georges Rousse at Musée Réattu; Jordi Bernardo, John Davies, Bernard Plossu, Massimo Vitali at Abbaye de Montmajour
- David Goldblatt exhibition on South Africa
- Paul Graham exhibition on social fractures in the US
- Anders Petersen exhibition on Gap and Saint-Étienne from the 1970s
- Fifteen photographers competed for three prizes: Dialogue de l'humanité, No Limit, Découverte
- Prize nominees included Alessandra Sanguinetti, Carla Van De Puttelaar, Isabelle Hayeur, Ricky Davila, Wang Qingsong, Tom Hunter, Claudia Fährenkemper
- Depardon described his selection as favoring 'documentary style' over 'staged photography'
- Depardon argued for photographers as authors and artists, not journalists
Entities
Artists
- Raymond Depardon
- Béatrice Helg
- Sarah Moon
- Jean Le Gac
- Paolo Ventura
- Laurenzo Castore
- Georges Rousse
- Jordi Bernardo
- John Davies
- Bernard Plossu
- Massimo Vitali
- Roman Cieslewicz
- Gilles Caron
- Don McCullin
- Susan Meiselas
- Dominique Issermann
- Daniel Angeli
- Jean-Christophe Béchet
- Cyrus Cornut
- Laurent Guenau
- David Goldblatt
- Paul Graham
- Anders Petersen
- Alessandra Sanguinetti
- Carla Van De Puttelaar
- Isabelle Hayeur
- Ricky Davila
- Wang Qingsong
- Tom Hunter
- Claudia Fährenkemper
- Bernard Marcelis
Institutions
- Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie
- Le Méjan
- Musée Réattu
- Agence régionale pour le patrimoine Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Abbaye de Montmajour
Locations
- Arles
- France
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Gap
- Saint-Étienne
- South Africa
- United States
- Argentina
- Netherlands
- Canada
- Spain
- China
- England
- Germany
Sources
- artpress —