The presentation made by France’s Culture and Communication Minister about the program for the upcoming 42nd edition of the Rencontres d’Arles was far from accidental, rather it confirmed the Minister’s dedication to photography. In closing, he revealed that several announcements would be made during the Festival. Frédéric Mitterrand also exposed the upcoming project for the soon to be closed Sully hall, creating a new space in the future Palais de Tokyo, set to open in 2012. He also announced new production grants for commissioning work from photojournalists, the opening of a new website dedicated to photography, and the settling of four estate battles.

While at the same time demonstrating discretion, the Minister confirmed that the generosity of artists and to the personal implication of all concerned, including the Ministry and perhaps the Minister himself, allowed the majority of the Mexican program, initially scheduled by the Rencontres staff, would be saved.

In conclusion, Frédéric Mitterrand compared the role of the Rencontres d’Arles to this quotation by Walter Benjamin “We made an effort in vain subtleties to determine whether photography should or should not be considered an art form, but we didn’t ask ourselves if this invention hadn’t transformed the general nature of art itself.”

After having recalled that this new edition would mark a decade of renewal, Jean-Noël Jeanneney, the current President of the Rencontres, paid homage to the work of François Barré and François Hébel who not only rectified the budget but also revived the Festival’s development. Both on a material level, increasing the number of visitors from 9000 in 2000 to 73000 in 2010, and on an artistic level, from 10 to 60 temporary exhibitions, bringing the Festival to the forefront of national and international recognition.

After having emphasized the importance of the Festival’s faithful “sponsors” without which the Rencontres wouldn’t have enjoyed such growth, François Hébel presented this year’s content entitled “Non Conforme”. Non Conforme, he said, “if “Here is New York”, the exhibition about September 11 that we presented in 2002 marked the first phenomenon of the digital era by combining professional and amateur photography, it also showed the increasing diversity of the photographic palette. Ten years later, the world has changed, photography and its spectators as well.”

The program for this 42nd edition will evolve around chapters with such titles as “Manifestos”, “Republic”, “Documents”, “View Points”, and “Revolved or Revolution?”

“Manifestos”

This group boasts “From Here on” an homage to Chris Marker and JR.

“From Here On” emerged from the manifesto signed by the five exhibition curators:

Clément Chéroux, curator of the Cabinet de la Photographie, Centre Pompidou, Joan Fontcuberta, an artist living in Barcelona, Erik Kessels, founder and artistic director of KesselsKramer in Amsterdam, Martin Parr, Magnum Photos photographer, Joachim Schmid, a Berlin based artist.

From this Manifesto, they chose 36 artists: Adrian Sauer, Andreas Schmidt, Aram Bartholl, Claudia Sola, Constant Dullaart, Corinne Vionnet, Cum*, David Crawford, Doug Rickard, Ewoudt Boonstra, Frank Schallmaier, Gilbert Hage, Hans Aarsman, Hermann Zschiegner, James Howard, Jenny Odell, Jens Sundheim, John Haddock, Jon Rafman, Josh Poehlein, Kurt Caviezel, Laurence Aëgerter, Marco Bohr, Martin Crawl, Micheal O’Connell a.k.a Mocksim, Mishka Henner, Monica Haller, Nancy Beans, Pavel M. Smejkal, Penelope Umbrico, Roy Arden, Shion Sono, The Get Out Clause, Thomas Mailaender, Viktoria Binschtok, Willem Popelier.
This exhibition is produced in collaboration with La Virreina Centre de la Image, Barcelone who will present it in 2012.

The Chris Marker retrospective will present more than 300 works created between 1957 and 2010. It will include Koreans, a project from 1957 that provides an uncensored look at daily life four years after the end of the war.
“What time is it ?” (2004–08) inspired by the court poem by Ezra Pound
“The appearance of these faces in the crowd/ Petals on a wet black branch”, pictures taken in the Parisian subway to “revive subjects in their best light…”

He developed the same idea with the series Passengers. In another series, After Dürer, Marker appropriated and revisited certain prints by the German engraver.
Silent Movie and The Hollow Men also question linear and historic narratives.
La Jetée, Chris Marker’s most well known film, will be projected in Arles with a presentation about his recent work on “Second Life”, the virtual internet platform.
Exhibition presented in collaboration with the Peter Blum Gallery, New York.

JR
Since his public presentation in Arles in 2007, JR has developed several important projects. He won the prestigious American TED award in 2011.
Projection of his projects around the world at the Théâtre Antique on Saturday July 10.

Bernard Perrine
Correspondant de l’Institut de France
BernardPerrine@Le-Photographe.net