the encounters


For more than 25 years in Niort, the capital town of the department of Deux-Sèvres, the Encounters of Young International Photography has been a festival at the heart of which is an exceptional creative residency bringing together over some twenty days, eight emerging international artists accompanied by an internationally renowned artist. They are given a true carte blanche to create in a setting of rich exchanges and sharing, inevitable meetings, experiments and discoveries. Above all, the residency provides a multicultural, multigenerational collective framework that aids individual reflection.
The programme associates Around this residency several exhibitions are programmed featuring artists with emerging or unpublished work, offering a real photographic journey in the heart of Niort, together with opportunities to meet the artists, guided tours, screenings, evenings, round tables, and other events.

mmanuelle Brisson presents her exhibition Les profondeurs du cœur, The Pillory, RJPI 2018 - © Charlie Jouvet

the crazy night

An exceptional performance in order to meet the demands of our public: over the final weekend of the Encounters, visitors can discover over two days and in the same place, a first exhibition devoted to the work presented with their application by the eight residents and the next day, a second one presenting the works created during the residency. To achieve this, the first exhibition has to be taken down and replaced in the space of a single night, THE CRAZY NIGHT!

Hanging of the work of Nía Diedla during the crazy night in 2018 - © Paul Muse

the programme

The programme of the Encounters of Young International Photography revolves around the creative residency with the exhibition of the residency's artistic advisor and that of the eight invited international artists. Five or six artistic proposals from emerging photographers are added to this programme of exhibitions. An action-packed final weekend offers a guided tour of all the exhibitions, round tables, meetings with artists, parties, and other events.

The programme of the 2024 Encounters (english):



The other programmes:
The programme of the 2023 Encounters
The programme of the 2022 Encounters
The programme of the 2021 Encounters
The programme of the 2019 Encounters
The programme of the 2018 Encounters
The programme of the 2017 Encounters
The programme of the 2016 Encounters
The programme of the 2015 Encounters
The programme of the 2014 Encounters

carte blanche

Carte Blanche is the name given to the catalogue published after the creative residency of the Encounters of Young International Photography, and which has been published since 2008.
In a magazine-type format chosen to make it an object for dissemination and communication, it not only brings together the works created during the residency each year, but also presents all the artists featured during the Encounters.

Carte Blanche, 2023 (french/english):



Carte Blanche, 2020-2021-2022
Carte Blanche, 2018

call for applications

The call for applications (French / English) is sent out every year around July, often on the occasion of the Rencontres d'Arles. Application is free from any payment of participation fees and without constraints regarding the form of submitted works. Only applications from France must be submitted on paper and sent by post.

videos

In partnership with the European School of Image (ÉESI) in Poitiers / Angoulême, two students from the school join the residency and are given carte blanche to bear witness to this experience by making a video film.

The 2016 residency:

Film directed by Eve Martin and Jérémy Pengam.

The 2017 residency:

Film directed by Antonin Dony and Marie-Clarisse Monin.

The 2018 residency:

Film directed by Émmanuel Beranger and Thomas Dubois.

the artistic advisers
The artistic advisers invited to the Encounters:
Thierry Girard (1991)
Michel Séméniako (1992)
Bernard Plossu (1993)
Luc Choquer / Didier Hubert (1994)
Gilbert Fastenaekens (1995)
François Méchain (1996)
Cristina Garcia Rodero (1997)
Hugues de Wurstemberger (1998)
Françoise Huguier (1999 et 2014)
Tom Drahos (2000)
Jane-Evelyn Atwood (2001)
Max Pam (2002)
Bernard Descamps (2003)
Joan Fontcuberta (2004)
 Charles Harbutt (2005)
Bogdan Konopka (2006)
Philip Blenkinsop (2007)
Arno-Rafaël Minkkinen (2009)
Christian Caujolle (2010)
Laurent Millet (2011)
Denis Dailleux (2013)
Klavdij Sluban (2015)
Olivier Culmann (2016)
Isabel Muñoz (2017)
Corinne Mercadier (2018)
JH Engström (2021)
François Cheval (2022)
Joan Fontcuberta (2023)

notable achievements

The following is a highly selective overview of the subsequent achievements of some of the artists we have hosted during the residency:
Isabelle Le Minh (RJPI 2000):
  • Exhibited at the Rencontres d’Arles in 2012
  • Represented by the Christophe Gaillard gallery
Laura Henno (RJPI 2001):
  • Prix découverte des Rencontres d’Arles in 2007
  • Exhibited at Arles in 2019
  • Represented by Les Filles du Calvaire gallery
Israel Ariño (RJPI 2001):
  • Represented by Galerie Vu
Éric Baudelaire (RJPI 2002):
  • Villa Kujoyama in 2008
  • Solo exhibition at Centre Pompidou in 2017
  • Laureate of the Marcel Duchamps prize in 2019
Marie Maurel de Maillé (RJPI 2004):
  • Resident at Casa Velasquez 2011-2012
Anaïs Boudot (RJPI 2011):
  • Resident at Casa Velasquez 2016-2017
  • Represented by the galleries Binôme and Les Bains révélateurs
Vasantha Yogananthan (RJPI 2013):
  • Roger Pic prize in 2015
  • Levallois prize in 2016
  • ICP Infinity Award Emerging Photographer in 2017
David Fathi (RJPI 2015):
  • Laureate of the Rencontres d’Arles Photo Folio Review in 2016
  • Exhibited at Arles in 2017
Antoine Bruy (RJPI 2016):
  • HSBC prize 2018
Wiktoria Wojciechowska (RJPI 2016):
  • Exhibited in France for the first time in Niort
  • Prix du Public du Nouveau Prix Découverte in 2018
Soham Gupta (RJPI 2016):
  • Exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2019
Manon Lanjouère (RJPI 2018) :
  • Exhibited at MEP Paris in 2019

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