Les Rencontres d’Arles 2023: A Review
25th August 2023
Now that the prestigious French photography festival, Les Rencontres d’Arles, embarks on its final weeks, we are taking a look at some of the highlights from the summer. This year’s “blockbuster” exhibitions include ‘Constellation’ by Diane Arbus, ‘Assemblages’ by Saul Leiter, and two separate exhibitions that span the life of French film director, Agnes Varda.
Writer Tom Seymour reviewed the festival for The Art Newspaper, critiquing various exhibitions across the city, as well as the general consensus in Arles at large. Noting that the festival opened in a moment of stress (while violent protests spread across France after the death of Nahel Merzouk), Seymour asks, “Is the festival entirely insulated from its setting, or does it have the capacity and mentality to recognise it?”
Read the full article here.