Photography's Restless Bicentennial

The Rencontres d’Arles festival transforms the city into a platform for debating the nature of images as photography approaches its bicentennial. Exhibitions examine how photography has been used for nation-building, as seen in the "Ghana! Dreaming Independence" section, and explore personal and colonial histories in works like Sammy Baloji's "Landscape Lens." The festival also delves into contemporary concerns, featuring cameraless photography addressing climate change and AI's role in image creation, alongside explorations of visual doubt and collective memory. Tributes to artists like William Klein and features on emerging talents highlight photography's continued dynamism and its capacity for unruliness.