Arles
Yesterday, home. Today, Arles.
Through the door: "My Only Ticket Home", one of Carlos's photographs at the Rencontres d'Arles this summer. The photography festival, founded in 1970, ran from 6 July to 4 October, across Arles and the surrounding region.
In the Palais de l'Archevêché, seven of his photographs, all lent by the gallery, hung on one wall of "Ghana! Dreaming Independence 1957–1976", a group exhibition curated by Damarice Amao. It looked at how photography shaped the image of Ghana after independence in 1957, in books, magazines, banknotes, stamps and postcards, and showed the work of photographers active in Ghana in the first decades of independence, such as Felicia Abban, James Barnor and Paul Strand, alongside contemporary artists like Carlos. In the curator's words, that visual legacy "remains alive—between doubt, hope, and nostalgia—today".
On 9 July, during the opening week, Carlos took part in the festival's round table "Emancipation: the image as a partner?", with the archivist Kwame Crentsil and the artists Chris Essel Baiden and Rita Mawuena Benissan. The recording is on the festival's website.
One last look: the official poster. For its 2026 edition, the festival used a photograph by Carlos, "Many Reasons to Live Again", from the series "Sunday Special".
Installation views: "Ghana! Dreaming Independence 1957–1976", Palais de l'Archevêché, Arles, 7 July 2026. On the wall: "My Only Ticket Home", "Many Reasons to Live Again", "The Barbershop", "Between Stations", "Taya Man no be Lazy Man", "My first Photograph" and "Daddy's Polaroid". Poster design: ABM Studio.
The gallery is open, as always, by appointment.
Here, after eleven chapters, the fourth journey ends. Tomorrow: the fifth journey.
