Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival

The 11th edition of the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival will take place in Xiamen from November 29, 2025 to January 4, 2026. Early bird tickets are now on sale through November 20!

As Asia's premier annual photography event, the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival is the only cultural platform in China with a long-term partnership with the world-renowned Rencontres d'Arles in France. Since its founding in 2015 in Xiamen's Jimei District, the festival has showcased cutting-edge global photography through professional curation and international vision, while supporting Chinese artists in their creation and research, and elevating their work to global attention. Each November, Jimei × Arles returns to Xiamen with high-standard, professional and globally oriented artistic exhibitions, offering both local and international visitors an exceptional cultural experience where art and the city converge. Over the past decade, it has presented more than 300 exhibitions featuring over 700 artists, hosted over 800 public events, and attracted over 550,000 visitors.

The 2025 Jimei × Arles Art Committee includes prominent members: Bas Vroege, curator, producer, and Founder & Director of Paradox; Cao Dan, senior art journalist, curator, and documentary film director; Christoph Wiesner, Director of Les Rencontres d'Arles; Gu Zheng, curator, critic, and Professor at the School of Journalism, Fudan University; RongRong&inri, Co-founders of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre; Dr. Sarah Kennel, Aaron Siskind Curator of Photography and Director of the Raysor Center at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, USA; and Takahiro Ito, Curator of Photography at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Japan.

This year, Jimei × Arles will stage more than 25 exhibitions showcasing thousands of works from mainland China, Brazil, the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan, China, spanning photography, video, installation, and multimedia. Highlights include six exhibitions selected from Les Rencontres d'Arles, eight presentations in the "Jimei × Arles Discovery Award" section, the winning proposal of the 4th "Jimei × Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", a "Collector's Tale" group exhibition, a "Crossover Photography" showcase, two "China Pulse" exhibitions, two exhibitions in the "Greetings from Hong Kong" section, a special presentation marking the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, along with a diverse range of projects presented by SONY and SIGMA. In addition, through the "Isles Project," the festival will activate urban and community spaces, fostering dialogue between artistic practice and everyday life.

The highly anticipated "Jimei × Arles Discovery Award" will be announced during the opening week. The cash prize of this year's Discovery Award is sponsored by Cathay Capital. The winner will be invited to hold a solo exhibition at the next edition of Les Rencontres d'Arles in France, representing a new force in Chinese photography. Since its inception, the award has become a vital platform for identifying and promoting emerging Chinese photographic artists, providing them with opportunities for international exposure. This year's finalists, nominated by five galleries, represent diverse creative practices and cross-regional perspectives.

In conjunction with the festival, the Jimei × Arles "Curatorial Seminar for Photography and Moving Image" — a non-profit course with special support by CHANEL, is set to begin again before the opening week of the Jimei × Arles. The project integrates the multifaceted and cutting-edge photography and moving image art presented by Jimei × Arles and brings together experts from various fields to continuously support the growth and development of emerging curators and researchers. Meanwhile, the opening week will also unveil the Experts' Meet-up "Portfolio Review Award," recognizing emerging photographers with complete and promising bodies of work, and providing a platform for presentation, exchange, and dialogue with professional evaluators.

The exhibition takes place in Jimei, a district rich in cultural heritage — vibrant, open, and inclusive, where the spirit of the city coexists with dynamic artistic practices. During the exhibition period, the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival will continuously extend the energy of the exhibition space through a series of public programs, including university lectures, portfolio review, artist-led tours, performances, and study trips. Together, these activities create an open and dynamic artistic field where photographic art is deeply woven into the fabric of Jimei New City — a place celebrated for its beauty and vitality. This not only offers visitors a rich and immersive experience but also builds an international platform that combines academic depth with public engagement, allowing Xiamen and photographic art to shine together on the global stage of artistic exchange.