Focus on the Women In Motion LAB

The project, led by historians Luce Lebart and Marie Robert, will look at the careers and works of around 300 women who have made their mark on photography since the very beginning, on every continent. The two leaders of the project will reach out to contributors around the world as they look to achieve their main aim of providing recognition for women photographers, who are rarely given the coverage they deserve.

 

A special place will be reserved for women who have played a major role in the development of the sector: collectors, gallery owners, curators, commissioners, journalists, publishers, writers and art critics.

 

The work will lead to the publication of a book, in collaboration with French publishing company, les éditions Textuel.

 

In March 2019, Kering and the Rencontres d’Arles announced their partnership and the launch of the Women In Motion program at Arles. The aim of the partnership is to contribute to the recognition of women photographers and gender equality in this area of the arts. While continuing to support talented young women through the Prix de la Photo Madame Figaro Arles, as it has done since 2016, Kering has now launched the Women In Motion LAB and the Women In Motion Award for photography at the Rencontres d’Arles.

 

The latter of these celebrates the career of a renowned woman photographer, and includes prize money of €25,000 for the acquisition of works for the Rencontres d’Arles Collection. For its first edition, the award will go to American photographer Susan Meiselas, who will share her experiences with the audience at Arles during an evening at the Théâtre Antique on July 2.

 

About Women In Motion

A major priority for the Group, Kering’s commitment to women extends into the world of arts and culture through the Women In Motion program. For although creativity is one of the most powerful forces for change, gender inequality in this area remains flagrant. 

Kering, a partner of the Cannes Film Festival, launched Women In Motion in 2015 to shine a light on women’s contribution to cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Since then, the program has been expanded to include the worlds of photography, art and literature. Through its awards, Women In Motion recognizes both inspirational figures and talented young women, while its Talks provide an opportunity for some of the leading names in cinema to share their views on women’s representation in their profession.

For the past five years, Women In Motion has been a platform for helping to change mindsets and to providing thought leadership on both the role and the recognition given to women in all areas of the arts.

 

 

About Luce Lebart

Luce Lebart is a historian of photography, an exhibition curator and the French correspondent for the Archive of Modern Conflict collection (London and Toronto). She was the director of the Canadian Photography Institute from 2016 to 2018, having been head of the Société Française de Photographie from 2011 to 2015. Her recent books include Gold and Silver (RVB-Books, 2018); Les grands photographes du XXe siècle (The Great Photographers of the 20th century; Larousse, 2017); Les silences d’Atget (The Silences of Atget; Textuel, 2016). Since 2012, she has curated 18 exhibitions devoted to historic and heritage photographs – five of them at the Rencontres d’Arles, and the others for museums and festivals in Europe, Canada, and soon Mexico. Her latest book, Inventions (1915-1938), is dedicated to the archives of France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and accompanies the Saga des inventions (Story of inventions) exhibition at this year’s Rencontres d’Arles.

 

About Marie Robert

Chief Curator of Photography at the Musée d’Orsay since 2011, Marie Robert has created a dozen different exhibitions from the museum’s collection, taking a socio-historical approach to the content (Images pauvres, images de pauvres; Les Petites Misères du photographe, Du Coq à l’Âne, La Confusion du genre, etc.). She was also the co-curator of Misia, Reine de Paris (2012), Splendeurs et Misères. Images de la prostitution (2015) and Qui a peur des femmes photographes ? (2015). Marie Robert taught the history of photography at the École du Louvre, using the prism of gender (2014-2017). Her research and published articles focus on women’s place in the history of photography, along with the interconnections between photography and other forms of media. She will be responsible for the reintroduction of cinema in the permanent exhibitions of the Musée d’Orsay in 2019.

 

About Les Éditions Textuel
Led by Marianne Théry, the company’s founder in 1995, Les Editions Textuel has been affiliated with Actes Sud since 2008. With around 100 listed titles, photography plays a major role in its catalogue. The company’s publishing policy is to include both world-renowned artists and emerging talent. Three books are being published this summer to mark the 2019 edition of the Rencontres d’Arles.

 

About the Rencontres d’Arles

Created in 1970, the Rencontres d'Arles is the world’s most renowned photography festival. A cultural incubator, it is as close as possible to artists and an annual X-ray of photographic creation combined with a festive spirit. Echoing and promoting artistic practices, the Rencontres d'Arles presents works by 250 artists and curators every year at 40 exhibitions at heritage sites transformed for the occasion. The festival reveals trends, opens new paths, deciphers images, produces meaning and generates content for an ever-growing audience.

 

About Kering 

A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods, Jewelry and Watches: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrow's Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering Imagination”.

 

 

For more information

Visit the Women In Motion press area

 

Follow the official hashtags
#WomenInMotion #Kering

 

Press Contact Kering

Emilie Gargatte +33 (0)1 45 64 61 20
emilie.gargatte@kering.com 
Eva Dalla Venezia +33 (0)1 45 64 65 06
eva.dallavenezia@kering.com

 

Press Contact the Rencontres d’Arles

Claudine Colin Communication | +33 (0) 1 41 02 60 01
Alexis Gregorat | alexis@claudinecolin.com
Marine Maufras du Chatellier | marine.m@claudinecolin.com