Flamenco, fashion and freedom: three photography shows to see at Les Rencontres d'Arles

The Art Newspaper highlights three photography exhibitions at the 57th Les Rencontres d’Arles, where director Christoph Wiesner frames the 2026 programme as “a space for complexity and attentiveness” rather than a single unifying theme. The festival includes more than 40 exhibitions organized into groupings such as “Independence,” “Forms of Life,” and “The Uncertain Archive,” spanning historical surveys and contemporary installation practices. A key show, Ghana! Dreaming Independence 1957–1976 (on view until 4 October at the Palais de l’Archevêché), curated by Damarice Amao, examines how images circulated through media like books, stamps, textiles, and postcards helped construct Ghana’s post-1957 national identity, featuring photographers including James Barnor, Felicia Abban, Willis E. Bell, and Paul Strand alongside contemporary artists Carlos Idun-Tawiah and Rita Mawuena Benissan. The article also notes Stan Douglas’s Bodies Never Lie at Luma Arles, running until 10 January 2027.

Read the full article at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events