Latest news with #Rencontresd'Arles
ABC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
In Fruiting Bodies, photographer Ying Ang rejects 'fetishisation' of mushrooms and of female beauty
Melbourne photographer and author Ying Ang was walking around inner-city gardens after her son's school drop-off when she became so fascinated by the mushrooms she noticed underfoot that her 20-minute walks began to spiral into into four-hour rambles. She developed an intense fascination with mushrooms and began photographing them. "The magic thing about photography is that you don't really know what something looks like photographed until you photograph it," Ang tells ABC Arts. It turned out that, through her lens, mushrooms had a lot to say. "I find something very surprising about them," Ang says. Ang photographed mushrooms over eight months in 2024, and the resulting body of photographic work, Fruiting Bodies, launched at the prestigious Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in France earlier this month. And it draws a strong connection between mushrooms and the female body. Ang's compelling photographic series begins by confronting a struggle she considers common: women feeling they must cling to the fading remnants of their youth. "Is that all we are — defined by what we once had? Or is there a deeper worth waiting to be uncovered?" she asks. Ang says there is a "connection with lessons in the environment and lessons in feminism" — a school of thinking known as ecofeminism. Using those notions as a foundation, she highlights the transient beauty of mushrooms, using them as metaphors for complex ideas around female beauty. Female beauty is often considered fragile and something that diminishes with aging, Ang says. She writes in Fruiting Bodies: Here is how the world will try to make you small. Here is how to stop it. Here is what you do not have to endure. Ang finds a common point between women's experiences and the vast underground mycelial network that supports mushrooms and the unseen world; there, she says, there is hidden strength and resilience. Beyond the women in her life, who are her "key inspiration", Ang is inspired by authors such as Deborah Levy and Rachel Cusk and "the richness of their interior landscape". As a woman and a mother, Ang felt a deep curiosity about the stories her own body held within. "I mean, I've had a child, right? I've fulfilled my reproductive function, where is the value and function of my body?" she says. Fruiting Bodies is an introspective journey, but it's one designed to speak broadly. Mushrooms, with their ephemeral beauty, are a reminder of the interconnectedness of all life forms, Ang says. She's also pushing back against the trend of fetishising mushrooms in artistic imagery, a common practice she encountered in researching her book. "It's this full phallic pulsing at the peak of its reproductive state," she says. Similarly, she argues that there is "a complete fetishisation of … our reproductive years as women". While Ang believes women's worth is often tied to their youth and fertility, her work — by contrast — celebrates the value of women beyond these parameters, including their roles as storytellers, caregivers and vital links between generations. In Fruiting Bodies, each mushroom image stands alone as a portrait, allowing readers to appreciate the delicate details and to find a deeper significance. The book is not just a collection of photographs; it is a journey into the heart of what it means to exist, to be seen and to reclaim one's narrative in a world that often overlooks the profound connections between life, death and everything in between. "I wish for [readers] to discover a secret that perhaps they have always known," Ang says. "I hope that people can meet me halfway as I introduce an idea, the beginning of a thread to be unravelled. Fruiting Bodies is out now from Perimeter Editions.
LeMonde
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Photography, politics and protest collide at Rencontres d'Arles
Long lines and crowded exhibition halls were impossible to avoid during the opening week of the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. Not to mention the ever-increasing number of parties and photography events that dotted the small southern town of Arles from July 7 to 13 as part of the festival's "off" program. Visitor numbers rose by 15% compared to 2024, reaching 23,000 people. Despite the extended hours in the mornings and evenings to avoid the hottest parts of the day, the crowds raised the temperature inside the exhibitions. The record turnout bodes well for the rest of the summer for the renowned photography festival that draws 70% of its €8 million annual budget from its ticket sales and sponsorship. However, success and crowds have drawn their share of criticism. Some argue that the city's dramatic changes are due to the influx of cultural institutions, foundations, and galleries following the opening of the Fondation LUMA in 2021. The city's walls have never before displayed so many posters denouncing the collateral damage caused by the development of the cultural sector in Arles, where 24% of the population lives below the poverty line. Some signs accused the Fondation LUMA of accelerating gentrification, while others accused Airbnb of reducing the availability of housing for local residents and BMW, one of the festival's sponsors, of greenwashing.
LeMonde
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
At Rencontres d'Arles, the artistic blur between AI and photographers remains unresolved
Inside the Église des Trinitaires in the southern town of Arles, where the photography festival Rencontres d'Arles opened on Monday, July 7, Brazilian artist Igi Lola Ayedun – who is a painter, sculptor, writer and photographer – presented photographs created by training the generative artificial intelligence (AI) system Midjourney with her own portraits, explained Thyago Nogueira, curator of the "Futurs Ancestraux" ("Ancestral Futures") exhibition. Just steps away, another Brazilian artist, Mayara Ferrao, depicted lesbian love stories of former Black slaves within the context of a fantasized 19 th century. She also used AI to transform a body of text and images into "real" photographs, effectively bringing to life non-existent archives. To address the gaps in history – the undocumented LGBTQIA+ love stories – she "had to fight hard against the machine," explained Nogueira, discovering that the AI algorithms were profoundly racist. They are the only artists officially using AI in photography at Arles in 2025. "It's not yet mentioned in the Rencontres rules because it's still very new. However, it's clear that it must be indicated on the labels to inform visitors," said Christoph Wiesner, the event's director.
LeMonde
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
Nan Goldin confronts Arles photo festival audience about Gaza war: '75,000 Palestinians have been killed'
An activist and rebel at heart since her beginnings in the 1970s, when she photographed her friends from New York's underground scene, Nan Goldin has remained true to her reputation. On Tuesday, July 8, before a packed Théâtre Antique, the American photographer, known for her activism against AIDS and the devastation caused by opioid addiction, used the opening night of the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in southern France to condemn Israel's war in Gaza. The evening began on a poetic note, with two tightrope walkers from the Gratte Ciel company suspended in front of the massive screen where photographs exhibited at the festival were projected. Nearly 2,500 people, seated all the way up to the stage, had reserved their seats, drawn by the presence of Goldin, the winner of the Women in Motion award, which honors women photographers. "I got the Women in Motion award even though I can barely walk!" joked the 71-year-old photographer, a regular at the festival. In 1987, it was at the Théâtre Antique that her most famous work, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a raw look into the artist's private life and that of her friends, was shown for the first time in Europe and found its definitive form.
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Of Soul & Joy empowers Moroccan orphans through photography workshop
Alberton's Of Soul & Joy (OSJ), a pioneering vocational programme rooted in photography as a means of youth empowerment, has extended its global footprint with a transformative workshop in Morocco. The workshop was aimed at enriching the lives of underprivileged children through the power of visual storytelling. The week-long workshop, which concluded on May 18, took place at the Dar Al Atfal Sidi Bernoussi orphanage in Casablanca. This vital institution, founded in 1986, cares for approximately 260 vulnerable boys, offering them shelter, education, and a path towards independence. The initiative was supported by Rubis Mécénat and Vitogaz Maroc, organisations committed to social impact through cultural engagement and sustainable development. Led by acclaimed South African photographer Jabulani Dhlamini, in collaboration with Moroccan artists Marouane Beslem and Abdelhamid Behlamidi, the workshop introduced children aged 11 to 12 to the fundamentals of photography. Through a blend of technical instruction and creative exploration, the young participants were encouraged to view the world around them through a new lens both figuratively and literally. Jabulani said that photography is a universal language as it goes beyond barriers of language, ethnicity, and creed. 'It's a unifier, enabling individuals from diverse backgrounds to creatively tell their stories. What's truly powerful is that, through photography, these children can communicate with the world, and their stories will resonate with anyone, anywhere,' Jabulani said. The culmination of the workshop was a public exhibition held on May 17, where the children's work was proudly displayed. Featuring photo prints, wallpapers, and archival pieces, the exhibition offered a moving testament to the children's newfound voices and creativity. Curated by Jabulani, Beslem, and Behlamidi, the showcase highlighted the power of photography to give visibility to marginalised youth and foster intercultural dialogue. Dar Al Atfal Sidi Bernoussi, with ongoing support from Vitogaz Maroc, has recently undergone significant refurbishment to improve facilities, including its kitchen, bathrooms, and dormitories. These enhancements have created a more nurturing environment for the children, many of whom come from difficult or disadvantaged backgrounds. The Morocco initiative is the latest chapter in OSJ's growing legacy of photographic education and social upliftment. The programme has produced several internationally recognised alumni, including Tshepiso Mazibuko, whose exhibition Ho tshepa ntshepedi ya bontshepe garnered dual accolades at the 2024 Rencontres d'Arles festival in France. Another standout, Vuyo Mabheka, received the Special Jury Prize at the Biennale Images Vevey in Switzerland for his impactful series Popihuise. As OSJ continues to expand its reach, the Morocco workshop stands as a powerful example of how art can be a tool for empowerment and connection. By equipping children with the skills to document their world and share their stories, the programme not only nurtures future photographers but also instils confidence, creativity, and a sense of belonging on a global stage. For more information about Of Soul & Joy and its international workshops, visit At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
