Arles showcases American photographic stories

Arles – 18.07.2026: The Rencontres d’Arles are still open to visitors in their 57th edition. Until 4 October 2026, the international photography festival presents a programme under the guiding theme “Re-reading Worlds”. The exhibitions are spread across numerous historic locations in the southern French city and combine documentary photography, archives, contemporary art and social issues.

According to the festival, this edition focuses particularly on stories from Africa and the Mediterranean region. However, works with ties to the United States also shape the programme. This gives the festival a transatlantic perspective that makes urban experiences, pop culture, social inequality and personal memories visible in a variety of photographic forms.

A central place is occupied by the American photographer William Klein, to whom a retrospective is dedicated in Arles. Klein, who died in 2022 and would have turned 100 this year, became known for his high-contrast, dynamic images of New York and other metropolises. His work broke with classical ideas of clear, detached street photography and had a lasting influence on fashion, film and photographic art.

Martine Barrat also represents a perspective between France and New York. The French photographer has lived in New York since 1968 and is being honoured in Arles with a retrospective. Her images show, among other things, young people and boxers from the Bronx, as well as everyday scenes from Paris. They draw attention to people and environments that are often pushed to the margins in public imagery.

The American photographer Ming Smith expands this perspective. Her work combines portraiture, music, movement and experimental image composition. In Arles, her oeuvre is presented as an independent photographic language that tells African American life not merely as a subject, but from a personal and artistic experience. The exhibition thus aligns with the festival’s interest in questions of identity and representation.

According to the city of Arles, the 2026 edition includes a total of 47 exhibitions at 28 cultural venues. Churches, museums and former industrial buildings are transformed into exhibition spaces. Although the professional opening week took place from 6 to 12 July, the programme remains accessible throughout the summer. The city describes the first festival week as particularly well attended.

The Rencontres d’Arles were founded in 1970 and are among the most important international meeting places for photography. The current edition shows that the festival is not fixed on a single geographical perspective: the US-focused contributions stand alongside projects from Ghana, Congo, Algeria and other regions. It is precisely this juxtaposition that makes Arles a place this summer where photography connects historical experiences and current debates.