2026 CURATORIAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

About the Open Call

The Rencontres d'Arles curatorial research fellowship, supported by Jean-François Dubos, is intended for curators wishing to carry out an original image/photography project. The project will be carried out in two stages: research and production. Stage 1 involves a €5,000 grant for expenses and copyright fees throughout a six-month research period, with the budget and schedule subject to approval by Rencontres d'Arles. The curator will then propose a note to the artistic direction to validate the project's feasibility and restitution format. Stage 2, after approval by Les Rencontres d'Arles, involves the project entering the production phase, funded by Rencontres d'Arles with a €15,000 budget. This production budget includes loans of works, shipping to Arles, production of works (printing, framing, etc.), and an invitation for the curator and possible artist expenses during the opening week. The curator agrees to select works, determine presentation and reproduction rights, write a text presenting the selection, and be present at the festival’s opening week. Rencontres d’Arles will also cover scenography, mounting and dismantling of works, and security.

What is Offered

A total grant of €20,000 (€5,000 for research and copyright, €15,000 for production), an opportunity to develop an original image/photography exhibition, and the potential for the exhibition to be produced and presented at Les Rencontres d'Arles festival.

Requirements

The fellowship is open to all exhibition curators. Applicants must submit a single PDF containing a biography (with background, contact details, and curatorial projects/exhibitions) and a text presenting the proposed exhibition project (max 5,000 characters), including artists, works, a provisional research budget (€5,000), a research schedule, and a provisional exhibition production budget (€15,000). Texts must be in French or English.

How to Apply

Applications must be filed online at rencontresarles.typeform.com/to/MR8xsOVR before December 1, 2025. A single PDF (10Mb max.) is required, including: a biography of the curator(s) with background, full contact details, and a list of curatorial projects & exhibitions (with presentations and views); and a text presenting the proposed exhibition project (maximum 5,000 characters), the body of works and artists involved, a provisional research budget (€5,000), a research schedule, and a provisional exhibition production budget (€15,000). Texts must be in French or English, ideally both.