“Last year, Rémy Fenzy came to see me to tell me the school was going to celebrate its 30th anniversary. He asked if it would be possible to honor the occasion with a spot in the festival. Which I refused at first.” Then together, they took the time to conjure up a special program, focused on the ENSP and the experiences of three former students and their teachers. A program that would also honor the excellent teaching methods of this photographic school. The atypical result is highly anticipated among photographic teaching professionals. François Hébel explored the destinies of the 674 former Arles students. Devoting an international photography festival to a school is risky. “On the other hand, 30 years, that’s the time necessary to develop true talent. The program is coherent. It is an unusual experience, to be explored with no prior references. The visitors will be surprised by the diversity.”

The particularity of the Arles school is how it manages to distance students from the styles of their teachers, while at the same time giving them with the knowledge and critical know-how to evolve in excellence and diversity. For François Hébel, another dimension reveals itself “At first, the students overcome their naiveté, then look for their destinies. But they also have a responsibility to the history of photography in France and to their predecessors. The teaching demands of them to have a certain ambition for their work.”

You can read the full text by Wilfrid Estève in the French version of La Lettre.