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.

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; and RongRong&inri, Co-founders of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre.

This year, Jimei × Arles will present 34 exhibitions, showcasing approximately 2,500 works from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as Brazil, the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, Singapore,and other countries and regions. These works span photography, video, installation, and multimedia. 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. 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. In addition, through the "Isles Project," the festival will activate urban and community spaces, fostering dialogue between artistic practice and everyday life.

During the exhibition period, university lectures, portfolio review, artist-led tours, performances, and study trips will join the exhibitions in creating 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.