Read Against the Machine — Arles 2026
Read Against the Machine is a Der Greif × Foundation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz collaboration for the 57th Rencontres d'Arles. The brief invites photographic work that resists automated interpretation and reclaims the social act of looking, asking what happens when meaning is shaped through conversation rather than algorithms.
The programme has two strands. 12–16 selected artists join a collaborative editing workshop on July 8 led by Der Greif's jury and MRO's Artistic Director Alejandro León Cannock — an intensive collective image-reading session. A separate cohort is invited to one-on-one Face-to-Face portfolio reviews on July 10 with Der Greif editors and an MRO guest reviewer.
All selected participants' work is included in a collective screening at the MRO Foundation during Arles, on July 10. The screening sits within the wider Rencontres programme and brings the workshop conversations into a public, communal viewing.
Submission is through Picter. The fee is voluntary, with a 15€ suggested donation; vouchers are available on request via voucher-special@dergreif.org. Applicants must already be attending Les Rencontres d'Arles — travel and accommodation are not covered. The deadline is June 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM CET.
Jury: Caroline von Courten, Artistic Director, Der Greif · Alejandro León Cannock, Artistic Director, MRO Foundation · Simon Lovermann, Founder, Der Greif · Ilaria Sponda, Managing Editor, Der Greif · Francesca Hummler, Programme Curator, Der Greif · Diana Poole, Co-Founder, Der Greif Studio · Carolina Semprucci, Assistant Editor, Der Greif
Organized by Der Greif