With approximately 40 exhibitions, the Rencontres d’Arles offer a general survey of contemporary photographic creation and practices. The relationships suggested within the programme are at the core of the different sequences. They enable the identification of categories and, year after year, favour a thorough exploration of evolutions in photography.  

THE DISCOVERY AWARD

Supported by the LUMA Foundation since 2002, this is the Rencontres d’Arles’ top prize. The idea is simple: five preeminent figures from the art world each nominate two artists. Gender parity has been the rule since 2015. We stage an exhibition for all of the nominees and a jury of professionals votes to choose a winner, who is awarded €25,000 to continue his or her work. 

STREET
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY REVISITED

The street and city as playground.

Photographers have been practicing street photography since its emergence. In recent years, the genre has witnessed a significant renewal. 

WESTERN STORIES 
Westerns, with their frontier tales, rugged scenery and wide-open spaces, were also shot in the Camargue. 

MONSTRES & CO.
From cinema to Japanese folklore and Roswell’s extraterrestrials, monsters embody our fears. 

AFRICA POP
Talented photographers and curators show us a pop and offbeat Africa full of humour and surprises. 

PLATFORMS OF THE VISIBLE
NEW APPROACHES TO DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY 
Investigation as a photographic topic and the photographer as a detective combing through photo archives. 

AFTER WAR
What is there left to see on a battlefield after the fighting comes to and end? What traces can be left by a line built to keep out invaders? How have artists addressed September 11th in the past 15 years? What does a renowned war photographer do when not photographing war? We raise as many questions as we attempt to answer. 

I AM WRITING TO YOU FROM A FAR OFF COUNTRY
Spotlight on a part of the world, like a photographic correspondence. 

REREADING
PHOTOGRAPHY IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT
The history of photography through the lens of re-appropriations, errors or accidents. 

SINGULAR !
QUIRKY COLLECTIONS
Some passionate, free-spirited collectors look for unusual items, exploring the question of the vernacular. 

OUTSIDE THE FRAME
Photography leaves its frame and invades the space. 

EMERGENCES
The festival is a trailblazer; it seeks out tomorrow’s talents. 

ARLES BOOKS
Over 1,000m2 dedicated to the book in all its forms.