Name: ARTMAJEUR
Brand: ARTMAJEUR
Rating: 4.9 (12745 reviews)

Key points
Dates : July 7 – October 5, 2025
Theme : Unruly Images
Exhibitions : 46, in 26 locations, 160 artists
Featured Countries : Australia & Brazil
Major awards : Nan Goldin (Women in Motion), Roederer Discovery Award

The Rencontres d'Arles festival, an emblematic event in international photography, returns in 2025 for its 56th edition with a rich, committed and resolutely contemporary program. From July 7 to October 5 , the city of Arles will host 160 artists in 46 exhibitions , spread across 26 locations , for a total of 12,000 m² of exhibition space . This edition, under the theme "Unruly Images" , explores photography as a tool for resistance, transmission and social transformation.

Theme and Artistic Direction

Under the direction of Christoph Wiesner , the Rencontres d'Arles 2025 draws inspiration from the thought of the poet and philosopher Édouard Glissant , highlighting the intertwining of cultures and the creolization of the world. Photography is presented as a living medium, capable of bearing witness to, resisting, and reinventing dominant narratives , while highlighting the diversity of voices, identities, and territories .

An international and committed program

On Country: Photography from Australia

Australia is in the spotlight through the On Country exhibition, which examines the complex relationship between Indigenous peoples and their land. The word "Country" does not simply refer to a territory, but to a profound spiritual, cultural, and identity-based connection . Artists such as Tony Albert , Brenda L. Croft , and Maree Clarke deliver powerful works on memory, colonization, and resistance.

This exhibition gives a voice to generations of artists who use photography as an act of reappropriation and cultural survival , in a context still marked by assimilation policies.

Ancestral Futures: Brazilian Perspectives

Brazil is also at the heart of this edition, with Futurs Ancestrals , an exhibition bringing together artists such as Denilson Baniwa , Rafa Bqueer and Yhuri Cruz . Through photography, video or collage, they question dominant historical narratives, explore Afro-Brazilian, indigenous and LGBTQIA+ struggles , and reinvent visual archives.

The title, borrowed from Indigenous thinker Ailton Krenak , reflects a non-linear vision of time where the past illuminates the future. The exhibition thus takes a bold look at identity and memory as transformative forces .

Cross-perspectives: Family, body and society

Camille Lévêque: In search of the father

Using a documentary and introspective approach, Camille Lévêque explores the father figure through testimonies, archival images, and photographic narratives. Her project examines family roles in a changing society.

Keisha Scarville: Grief as Image

American artist Keisha Scarville presents a poignant series about the loss of her mother, mixing personal objects and symbolic scenes. She creates a dialogue between absence and presence , matter and memory.

Focus: Women photographers and new stories

Nan Goldin, Women in Motion Prize 2025

A major figure in contemporary photography, Nan Goldin is honored with the Women in Motion 2025 Award . She presents Stendhal Syndrome , a new work that interweaves intimate portraits and references to the great masters of art, exploring beauty, vulnerability and memory.

Emerging artists

The Regards Féminins exhibitions highlight artists such as Louise Mutrel , Lila Neutre and Camille Lévêque , whose works offer unique perspectives on gender, identity and sisterhood.

Emerging Talents: The Discovery Prize

The Louis Roederer Foundation Discovery Prize is one of the highlights of the festival, dedicated to young artists. This year again, it showcases international artists who are experimenting with the boundaries of contemporary photography , both aesthetically and conceptually.

Photography and social engagement

Beyond the exhibitions, the Rencontres d'Arles 2025 affirms its role as a cultural and civic driving force . The festival promotes projects that question inequalities, deconstruct norms and propose new imaginaries, such as the exhibitions Double by Carmen Winant and Carol Newhouse , or Les Femmes, Les Sœurs by Erica Lennard .

Local impact and international influence

Each year, the Rencontres attract more than 160,000 visitors , generating a significant economic impact for the region. The festival also supports inclusive initiatives : training, cultural mediation, and professional integration in the image sector.

ArtMajeur by YourtArt and its rich Arlesian program

ArtMajeur by YourArt returns to Arles in 2025 with a program designed as a truly curated journey for collectors and discerning enthusiasts. During the professional week of the Rencontres, we offer a series of exclusive experiences: an opening cocktail, a confidential lunch at Villa Benkemoun, a guided tour of the Roots exhibition, a curated tour of Arlesian galleries led by curator Marc Donnadieu, and a private visit to the Lee Ufan Foundation.

This presence is also an opportunity to showcase the platform's artists and gallery owners, notably through a temporary portrait studio and carte blanche given to Giulio Di Sturco and Maria Ana O'Neill. Their shared perspectives on the opening week will be revealed on July 13 in a new series.

At the same time, a special offer is being launched from June 6 to August 31: six months of free subscription for photographers with personalized support and a dedicated webinar; for collectors, 10% off the purchase of photos, weekly highlights on our networks, and places to win for the Rencontres by following us on Instagram.

A summer to celebrate independent photography, meet artists, and experience Arles differently.

Discover our selection of photographers for Arles