Arles photography festival 2026 edition highlights UFO images, overlooked Ivorian photographer, and animal photography

The 57th edition of Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles features exhibitions on alien imagery, a first major French show for Paul Kodjo, and a survey of animals in photography.

• The "We Are Not Alone: Alien Images" exhibition presents UFO photographs from the 1960s–1980s drawn from private and public archives.
• Ivorian photographer Paul Kodjo, who died in 2021, received his first major solo exhibition in France, featuring his photo novels from the 1960s and 1970s.
• Martine Barrat’s "Soul of the City" shows her films and portraits of South Bronx gang members from the 1970s, including the film "You Do the Crime, You Do the Time."
• The "Animal Model" exhibition spans 200 years of animal photography, including works by Elliot Erwitt and Andreas Gursky alongside TikTok videos.