Arles Photographic Festival

2011 is the 10^th anniversary of the Arles Photographic Festival known under the name of “Les rencontres d’Arles”. During time, it faced difficulties but it succeeded in creating a wonderful festival.

Les Rencontres d’Arles were created by Lucien Clergue, Michel Tournier and Jean-Maurice Rouquette who put their passion in creating the succesful event. Annually there is a photo contest named The Rencontres Discovery Award where new talents are discovered and creative minds and projects are being appreciated. The programme change its theme every year and great minds in jury come to join and give a professional vibe to it. Names like Martin Parr in 2004, Raymond Depardon in 2006, Christian Lacroix in 2008 or Nan Goldin in 2009 give the Festival the right jury professionalism.

Mexico, 2011 theme:

This year Mexico is in the centre of attention. The exhibition wants to reveal Mexico’s history of democracy and republicanism presenting Mexican Revolution. Also, we can find the amazing history surrounding the rediscovery of Robert Capa’s Mexican suitcase, salvaged and restored after its neglection and disappearance during the time of Spanish Civil War.

The suitcase full of Spanish Civil War negatives by Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David (Chim) Seymour found its way in the Mexican democracy landscape. It is being exhibited here for the first time in Europe after being placed at the International Center of Photography, New York, this winter.

With the help of Televisa Foundation of Mexico vintage photographs from 1919 Revolution are brought to exhibition. A very fine retrospective of work by Graciela Iturbide has been set up with the help of the Fundacion MAPFRE in Madrid and the curator Marta Daho.

The manifesto of the Festival:

Five artists and artistic directors with great affinity with Arles signed a manifesto entitled From Here On in which they express their profound regret of forgetting photography’s origins and originality by givind too much attention to Internet and digital creative methods.

http://www.rencontres-arles.com/Doc/ARL/Media/TRMisc/d/4/8/8/ARLMSC1432.pdf