Deja Vu: Rencontres Photos in Marseille

Every year, the city of Arles hosts the sprawling Rencontres de la Photographie, an international photo festival which lasts all summer and takes over many of the city's historic buildings, galleries and other public and private spaces.  (My story about the 2017 Rencontres is here.)  And this year some of the very best work from the 2017 Rencontres is being shown again, in Marseille.

Called Le Monde Tel Qu'il Va! (The World As it Is!), the Marseille exhibit is comprised of eight separate Rencontres shows in their entirety, plus one new show by local photographer Monique Deregibus. Altogether 40 photographers are featured. Admission is free but the show ends on January 7 so carpe diem!

According to the press materials: "The more we think countries are closed off and mired in political or economic crises, the more photographers are there. They reveal, tell, attest, invent, repair and rebuild with their own language, that of the image. They decode the early signs of social change. The World as It Is! offers a journey from the shores of the Bosporus to sub-Saharan border areas, from the divided island of Cyprus to a Libya torn between war and refugees. Come and share this taste for other places at major exhibitions that marked the Rencontres d’Arles this summer with 40 photographers who are wondering about the state of the world."

Le Monde Tel Qu'il Va! is at the just-reopened J1 (also called MJ1) terminal building on a long pier near the ferry port in the Joliette district of the city.  The building was entirely refurbished in 2013 as part of the Marseille-Provence Capital of Culture celebrations but according to my blogger friend Sheila at Marvellous-Provence, it's been closed ever since, the victim of local politics and squabbling. "With its huge spaces and spectacular views," Sheila says, "it was easily one of the most popular and most visited venues of that year.  So the fact that it has now reopened--now called the MJ1--is excellent news."

More info on Le Monde Tel Qu'il Va! is on the Rencontres site and the MJ1 site.

If you miss this exhibit, the next show at the MJ1 will be part of the Marseille-Provence 2018 festival, featuring six months of events with love as the theme. Officially called MP2018: Quel Amour!, it launches on Valentines Day, runs through the end of August and features 200 cultural events (music, dance, art, etc.) across the region.

Le Monde Tel Qu'il Va!

Eight exhibits on view until January 7, 2018

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, with special hours Dec 31st.

Free admission

Hangar MJ1
Quai de la Joliette

13002 Marseille

Photos: Three views of the J1 building...and the poster for the show. Top photo by Michele Clavel, second photo by Frederic D. at Photos-Provence.fr. Third photo (inside the J1 looking out) by Alizé Almozinos.