The exhibitions at the Arles photography festival this year are regrouped under the title “Disobedient Images”. They offer a subversive vision of subjects from families to feminism, minorities to mainstream. Here are some of the highlights of the exhibitions depicting subjects from the English-speaking world. Caroline Monnet Echoes from a Near Future Canadian photographer and … Continue reading “Disobedient Images: Arles 2025”
Two of the exhibitions at the Arles festival 2025 look back at four photographers capturing American life and landscapes over the past century. The World of Louis Stettner (1922–2016) Louis Stettner was a skilled practitioner of street photography with a political bent, often photographing protests, workers and countercultural movements like the Beat Generation. He said … Continue reading “On the Street, On the Road”
When Aboriginal Australians say they are, or are going, “on country”, they don’t just mean they are physically on the lands their ancestors have inhabited for 60,000 years. It also implies that they are shaped by the place, connected to it, and recognize a responsibility to care for it. It is this meaningful phrase that … Continue reading “On Country”
Richard Avedon was a famous fashion photographer, producing many Vogue covers. But between 1979 and 1984, he took a road trip through the Reagan-era American West to produce a series of portraits of the people he found there. Far from the stereotypes, Avedon photographed workers, some very young, and all sorts of interesting characters. The … Continue reading “In the American West”
One of Britain’s favourite painters, JMW Turner, was born 250 years ago, but his art continues to inspire, just as it inspired the Impressionists in the 19th century. It has a modernity that stands in contrast to his contemporary rival John Constable. It’s hard not to believe Turner would have been proud of the iconoclastic … Continue reading “Turner: 250th Anniversary”
David Hockney’s new exhibition in Paris is entitled David Hockney, 25. Not a reference to the artist’s age – he will be 88 this year – but the focus he has put on the most recent 25 years of his work. Because he is still creating and still innovating, from iPad paintings to monumental landscapes … Continue reading “David Hockney: A Life in Pop Art”
Wes Anderson is one of those film directors who has such a personal style that you can instantly recognise one of his films, whether it’s live action or animation. An exhibition at the Cinémathèque recreates the singular vision of the director of Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson was … Continue reading “Wes Anderson Exhibition at the Cinémathèque”
Magnum photographer Steve McCurry may not be a household name but his photos are instantly recognisable, especially one of a young Afghan girl taken in Pakistan where her family had taken refuge in 1984. An exhibition at the Caumont Centre d’Art in Aix-en-Provence takes visitors around the world in his footsteps, to India, Afghanistan, Namibia … Continue reading “Around the World in 80 Photos in Aix”
Dennis Morris arrived in London from Jamaica as a child, part of the Windrush generation. He fell in love with photography at age eight and became famous for his photos of Bob Marley and other reggae bands, as well as early punk such as the Sex Pistols. A retrospective exhibition in Paris features his music … Continue reading “Dennis Morris: Music and Life”
America, America is an exhibition of photos by esteemed American photojournalists and street photographers such as Lewis Hine, Gordon Parks and Helen Levitt. They are all part of the Marin Karmitz collection and are on show at the Lumière Institute till 5 January. The forty works on display span the 20th century, starting chronologically with … Continue reading “America, America Photography Exhibition in Lyon”
