Leica Encounters in Arles

Over 40 exhibitions dealing with the theme Beneath the Surface will be on display at different, unusual locations around the historic and cultural city. For over four decades now, the festival has been one of the most important driving forces and popular meeting points on the photography scene, presenting the great names of the medium as well as contemporary creative talents.

Leica Camera AG is represented in Arles this year with an exhibition of works by Henrike Stahl. From July 1 to 6, the Galerie La Belle Etoile will host The Arch Will Be Among the Clouds, an exhibition of work by the France-based, German photographer. Stahl applies hybrid practices to present a thousand possibilities of reality, and to create a dialogue between worlds. She loves to crumple up paper, cut it and experiment with it, without manipulating reality in the process. The series was created in 2023 as part of the Instants residency at Chateau Palmer. A collaboration between Leica and the Chateau Palmer estate, this annual residency offers guest photographers free rein to create their own, personal works of art.

From July 2 to 4, a series of talks will take place at the Hotel Jules Csar, bringing 18 international Leica photographers together with exceptional lecturers. The event offers the opportunity to discover and discuss the latest projects by Ana Mara Arvalo Gosen, Kiana Hayeri, Fred Mortagne, Mustafah Abdulaziz and Franziska Stünkel.

In addition, the Leica Akademie will be on site throughout the whole week, providing information and advice on the current portfolio from Leica's product range, and organising photo walks throughout the city. It will also be possible to participate in one of the three workshops with Cédric Roux, Eperdumence or Henrike Stahl.