Rencontres d'Arles 2005: Photography Without a Theme

The 2005 edition of Les Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles ran from July 5 to September 18, 2005, without a central theme or invited curator. The exhibition 'Un monde sous tension' addressed global violence, terrorism, and poverty, featuring works by Miguel Rio Branco, Barry Frydlander, David Tartakover, and Jacqueline Hassink. Colloquia and debates focused on 'Image and Engagement'. Three prizes were awarded: the Découverte prize to Miroslav Tichy, the Dialogue de l'humanité to Simon Norfolk, and the No Limit prize to Mathieu Bernard-Reymond. Twelve exhibitions explored portraiture, including 'No eyes / Sans regard' from W.M. Hunt's collection, featuring nearly 300 portraits with averted or hidden gazes. Other notable portrait series included Mario Cravo Neto's tense portraits, Arthur Omar's 'Anthropologie des visages glorieux' from Rio's carnival, Bernar Venet's scanned portraits, Leandro Berra's robot self-portraits, and Annet Van der Voort's intimate bathroom scenes.