From September 16 to October 10, the Argia collective hosted its second photographic event at the Mendi Zolan cultural center in Hendaye, "Regards Croisés #2: Raconter le monde". 300 people discovered five perspectives, five ways of telling the story of the world.
It all began on Friday, September 18, with the opening reception. Nearly fifty people attended, including about ten local elected officials. Then, over the course of nearly a month, more than 300 people walked through the doors of Mendi Zolan. On the final day, we hosted a lecture on the history of humanist photography.
Visitors took their time to explore the four series on display, read the educational panels dedicated to the history of photography and photojournalism, and watch the documentary featuring Marc Paygnard. Many stayed for a long time in front of the images, retraced their steps, and engaged in conversation with us. The Sud Ouest newspaper also came to discover the exhibition.
With Femmes de la mer, de sel et de vie (Women of the Sea, Salt, and Life), Mathieu Ménard spent three years across the four corners of Brittany with women who make their living from the sea: oyster farmers, fisherwomen, rescue workers, and deep-sea captains. Eleven portraits of women in a man's world.
Between documentary and a style reminiscent of cinema, Guillaume Fauveau works with light and chiaroscuro. His portraits of figures from the Basque Country establish a silent dialogue between the photographer and his subject.
Islada, "the reflection" in Basque: five summers spent following an itinerant summer camp. In the alcove reserved for them, Nahia Garat's photographs, partially presented on postcard display stands, told the story of childhood, independence, and summer friendships.
Former conflict photographer turned author Isabelle Besson took us aboard a train across Kerala, in southern India. Suspended time: not a destination, but a state of being, where waiting and contemplation merge to the rhythm of the rails.
The work of the patron of the first edition of the Three Crowns Festival, photographer Marc Paygnard, was presented at the center of the room, in dialogue with the four photography series. A report by videographer Jack Varlet dedicated to his work, Mémoire de paysans des Vosges Saônoises, played on a continuous loop on a screen. This provided a glimpse of his photographic vision while awaiting his return at the Three Crowns Festival in the spring of 2027.
Around it, 23 bilingual educational panels traced two histories: that of photography, which will celebrate its bicentennial in 2027, and that of the humanist movement.
On Sunday, October 4, the exhibition moved beyond its walls for an evening at the Les Variétés cinema in Hendaye. On the program was Reporters, the documentary by Raymond Depardon (1981), which follows the photographers of the Gamma agency right at the heart of current events. Forty-five years later, the film still poses the same questions: what does it mean to "tell the story of the world"? Where does information end, and where does spectacle begin?
The screening was followed by a discussion with the audience, moderated by Tristan Brossat from the ADRC, a specialist in documentary cinema. The photographer faced with the event, the race for the image, the place of ethics: a very rich evening, and here are a few excerpts.
On Saturday, October 10, the final day of the exhibition, Olivier Robert, artistic director of the collective, hosted the lecture Humanist Photography: Origins, Golden Ages, and Legacies. From Doisneau to Ronis, Boubat, and Cartier-Bresson, he traced the history of this movement that placed the human being at the heart of the image, and showed why this perspective still resonates with us today. A wonderful way to bring the exhibition to a close before an attentive audience.
The lecture was not filmed: some of the projected photographs were loaned to us, while others were rented from the rights holders specifically for this single session. Respecting artists' rights is also part of defending photography. To (re)discover the topic, our article What is humanist photography? covers the essential points.
On October 10th, "Regards Croisés #2: Raconter le monde" closed its doors at the Mendi Zolan Cultural Space. For nearly four weeks, more than 300 of you came to discover the series by Nahia Garat, Mathieu Ménard, Guillaume Fauveau, and Isabelle Besson, as well as the special spotlight on Marc Paygnard, patron of the future Three Crowns Photo Festival.
Beyond the images, it was the exchanges that enriched this edition: the opening reception in the presence of the photographers, the screening of Raymond Depardon's Reporters at the Les Variétés cinema, and the closing lecture on humanist photography, nourished by your questions and remarks. Throughout these weeks, the same conviction guided us, one that we wish to extend through the festival: not to reproduce the style of humanist photography (that of Doisneau, Ronis, or Boubat) but to pursue its intention: placing Humanity at the heart of the photographic gaze.
Following "Sound and Vision" this summer at the Halle de Gaztelu, which brought together nearly 260 visitors in three days, this second edition confirms what we hoped for when launching the Regards Croisés cycle: a curious and loyal public, and a genuine appetite for photography in Hendaye. Across two events, nearly 600 people turned out. Each gathering was conceived as a stepping stone, and each helped shape the identity of our major project.
That project is taking shape: the first edition of the Three Crowns Photo Festival will take place in Hendaye in the spring of 2027. Featuring exhibitions, meet-and-greets, lectures, workshops, and outreach programs for schools, and sponsored by Marc Paygnard, one of the last heirs of the humanist movement, the festival will foster a dialogue among three major voices in contemporary photography. Like Regards Croisés #2, it will form part of the Bicentennial of Photography celebrations.
We aim to offer a demanding, high-quality program worthy of what you have shared with us during these two editions. To build it, we will soon launch a call for entries open to photographers who wish to share their vision of the world alongside us. Stay tuned; details will be revealed shortly.
We would like to thank the City of Hendaye for placing its trust in us by co-organizing Regards Croisés #2 for the launch of the cultural season, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department for its assistance in bringing this project to fruition, Labo 23 for its technical support, the Akerbeltz brewery and the E. Leclerc center in Urrugne for their backing, as well as the MPP for its support. Finally, thank you to the photographers, the volunteers of the collective, and to you, the visitors, who brought this edition to life.
We look forward to seeing you again in Hendaye this spring for the very first Three Crowns Festival.
Arnaud Elissalde
President of Collectif Argia
Regards Croisés #2 was co-organized with the City of Hendaye at the Mendi Zolan Cultural Space and the Les Variétés cinema, in partnership with the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department and the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie (Ministry of Culture). Thanks also to LABO 23, the Akerbeltz brewery, and the E. Leclerc Center in Urrugne for their support.
With Sound and Vision this summer and Raconter le monde this autumn, the Regards Croisés series kept its promise: laying the groundwork for the Three Crowns Photo Festival, the first edition of which will take place in Hendaye in April 2027.
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Every exhibition, every screening, every encounter relies on the energy of volunteers and on your support. By making a donation, you help us bring future events like this one to life and prepare for our major Three Crowns Festival in 2027.
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