Considered as one of the only photo festivals in China to give space and supporting programmes for Asian photography, the annual photo festival unveiled the exhibition programme for its tenth edition, running in Xiamen from 29 November 2024 to 12 January 2025. This year, the festival will present 23 exhibitions, with a total of 2,000 works by artists from France, Spain, Germany, India, Japan, Canada, the United States, and China.The highlights include five exhibitions from Les Rencontres d'Arles, covering themes such as AI, architectural landscapes, and environmental issues. Featured will be works by photographers Cristina De Middel (Spanish), Rajesh Vora (Indian), Bruce Eesly (German), Coline Jourdan (French), François Bellabas (French). Private Scenes: Masahisa Fukase explores Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase's work, outlining the complete trajectory of his artistic exploration. Three exhibitions in the "Crossover Photography" section will provide diverse perspectives from creators in music, video, and other fields.
The "Jimei x Arles Discovery Award" will present eight exhibitions and a group show under the "China Pulse" theme, featuring Chinese photographers including Alice Wang, Alison Chen, Kanthy Peng, Zheng Andong, Ivy Ma, Yuk Mui Law, Jia Yu and Xu Zhe.
Another exhibition, showcasing finalists of the "Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", aims to discover and cultivate young Chinese curators and researchers.
This year, the festival partners with vivo VISION+ and Xiaohongshu's Inspiring Moments Award Exhibition, showcasing works by global image creators and promoting photography that reflects everyday life.
Two major awards "Jimei x Arles Discovery Award", co-initiated with Xiaohongshu Photography, and "Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", established with CHANEL, will announce this year's winners during the opening week.
The tenth edition will focus on integrating with local culture this year, exploring the connections between photography and the cultural heritage of Xiamen and its surrounding areas.
The festival will also connect with local art and culture through the "Parallel Exhibitions" and "Isles Project".