Australia makes photography history with first major exhibition at Rencontres d’Arles

IN A LANDMARK moment for Australian visual arts, “On Country: Photography from Australia” will premiere at the prestigious Rencontres d’Arles festival in 2025, marking the first time the world’s oldest photography festival has devoted its programming to Australian photographic practice. This groundbreaking exhibition, co-produced by Melbourne’s PHOTO Australia and Rencontres d’Arles, will transform the historic Église Saint-Anne – a deconsecrated 17th century church – into a powerful showcase of contemporary Australian photography from 7 July to 5 October 2025.

The exhibition showcases works by 17 prominent Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artists and collectives, including Tony Albert (Kuku Yalanji) and David Charles Collins, Ying Ang, Atong Atem, Elisa Jane Carmichael (Ngugi/Quandamooka) and Sonja Carmichael (Ngugi/Quandamooka), Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung), Michael Cook (Bidjara), Brenda L Croft (Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra), J Davies, Liss Fenwick, Adam Ferguson, Robert Fielding (Yankunytjatjara/Western Arrernte peoples), The Huxleys – Will Huxley and Garrett Huxley (Gumbaynggirr/Yorta Yorta), Ricky Maynard (Pakana), Lisa Sorgini, Tace Stevens (Noongar/Spinifex), wani toaishara, and James Tylor (Kaurna).

The exhibition’s most iconic work will undoubtedly be Tony Albert and David Charles Collins’ Warakurna Superheroes series, which has been selected by festival director Christoph Wiesner as the official visual identity for the entire 2025 festival. “Bringing ‘On Country: Photography from Australia’ to the Rencontres d’Arles 2025 marks a monumental moment in the recognition of Australian photography on the world stage,” Wiesner says. “This is certainly the most significant showing of Australian artists ever at the Arles festival.”

Created in collaboration with children from a remote First Peoples community in the Northern Territory, the poignant series depicts Indigenous children dressed in handmade superhero costumes against the dramatic outback landscapes of their hometown, Warakurna. The selection of Warakurna Superheroes #1 as the festival’s hero image ensures these powerful works will be seen by hundreds of thousands through the festival’s branding, marketing materials and signage throughout Arles.

Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta), Guest Curator and Senior Curator at RISING Festival, explains the deeper significance of the exhibition: “Today we share Country with many guests that also make it their home. Through this exhibition we profile the multiplicity of connections and relationships within this, from our Ancestral pasts to our political and social present. ‘On Country: Photography from Australia’ is an important moment in positioning significant photography from Australia to a global audience.”

Equally compelling is Capemba Bumbarra, a breathtaking 38-meter cyanotype installation by mother-daughter artists Elisa Jane Carmichael and Sonja Carmichael (Ngugi/Quandamooka). This monumental work traces the journey of fresh water from a spring through tidal pathways, mangroves and into the salty bay of Quandamooka on Queensland’s coast, embodying the deep connection to Country that informs the entire exhibition.

The church’s soaring architecture will provide a dramatic setting for Maree Clarke’s site-specific installation from her Ritual and Ceremony series, featuring a striking three-meter tall portrait of the late, distinguished Elder Uncle Jack Charles. This monumental work will engage in powerful dialogue with the sacred space of the centuries-old church.

Elias Redstone, PHOTO Australia’s Artistic Director and exhibition curator, emphasizes the exhibition’s significance: “‘On Country: Photography from Australia’ is the result of years of dedicated advocacy by PHOTO Australia to ensure Australian photographers are seen, heard, and celebrated internationally. By bringing these works to Arles, we are not only elevating the voices of these artists but also reinforcing Australia’s significant contribution to contemporary photography.”

Australian Ambassador to France Lynette Wood notes the diplomatic importance of the exhibition: “‘On Country: Photography from Australia’ is a testament to the vibrant and diverse artistic talent that Australia has to offer. Cultural cooperation between France and Australia, as highlighted in the Australia-France Roadmap, is crucial in strengthening our bilateral relationship.”

With an estimated 160,000 visitors expected to view the exhibition in its prominent church setting, On Country positions Australian photography firmly within international contemporary art discourse. The exhibition’s impact will extend beyond the festival through a dedicated publication by Melbourne’s Perimeter Editions, featuring an essay by Kelli Cole (Warumungu/Luritja) that provides deeper context for the works.

Event Details:
Exhibition: On Country: Photography from Australia
Dates: 7 July – 5 October 2025
Location: Église Saint-Anne, Arles, France
Presented by: PHOTO Australia and Rencontres d’Arles
Supported by: Australian Government through the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund, Bowness Family Foundation, and Australian Embassy, France

The exhibition is free to the public as part of the Rencontres d’Arles festival program. For more information visit photo.org.au or rencontres-arles.com.