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Reviews: Arles 2005 |
ARLES 2005 PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL |
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EXHIBITIONS OPEN TO SEPTEMBER 18 The Year of the Aubergine and the Flip Flop
FlipFlop night was a great success - a night on the streets and in the bars of La Roquette with all night projections and music in mysterious buildings and tiny squares - by dawn the bars were drunk dry. A new idea to better integrate the locals with the festival visitors. With no overall curator, there are however main themes and groupings; Portraits, World Under Stress, Rediscoveries, and Brazilian artists. Also, for the first time, the photographers nominated for an Award are given an exhibition and instead of a jury, it was the professionals at the festival who voted for the prizewinners. The exhibitions are installed in old churches, medieval buildings
and in huge abandoned railway workshops. Originally commissioned for a restored prison courtroom in Portugal, Gritos Surdos by Brazilian Manual Rio Branco is about power which by its nature abuses and destroys. He has filled the whole of the large church Eglise des Freres Precheurs, with sound, projections, brightly lit colour images and darkness. It is reminiscent of those dramatic and emotional catholic processions and like catholicism, it makes you cry or leaves you cold. Rediscoveries includes Joan Fontcuberta, the great hoaxer of contemporary photography. Miracles & Co is the story of the monastery of Valhamönde described with photographs, sacred artefacts, maps and so on and with a very funny video of ludicrous miracles being performed.
A timely comedic comment on the credulity of society and the manipulative nature of religion.
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Portraits are a very strong element this year, for example, David Balicki's series of the people of Arles, the dog lady, the doctor, the bull fighter and Christian Lacroix, are all given the same stagey black and white close up.
And in complete contrast, using the police Identikit programme, Aleandro Berra asked people to create their own image without looking in the mirror. The results are both disturbing because of the association with criminals and amusing because they all flattered themselves. World Under Stress is a large and varied group showing work about, war zones, terrorism, and the media but a more positive view is shown by Jacqueline Hassink. Queen Bees of the Arab World are large double images of the boardrooms and the dining rooms of successful businesswomen in the arab world. A simple concept beautifully made with each photograph accompanied by full descriptions of each Queen Bees' business.
Two memorable and independent exhibitions: Sarah Moon's dark, fearful and dreamlike photographic stories from Hans Christian Andersen: Little Red Riding Hood, Circuss and l'Effraie. No happy endings here. Sarah Moon, who has been awarded the Grand Prix National de la Photographie, has a style of composition which is spare, with ill-defined spaces and tipped viewpoints.
Pentti Sammallahti takes small black and white photographs and panoramas of animals either together, alone or with people. They are modest, loving and totally unsentimental. And when you have enjoyed all this you could have a refreshing glass of mint tea.
Susie Medley, July 2005 |
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Fotonet is funded by Arts
Council England |
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Eye Division