The Institut's Project
Founded in 2018 by the Hauts-de-France Region in collaboration with the Rencontres d’Arles, the Institut pour la photographie is an organization dedicated to photography in all its forms and uses. Our mission is to promote photographic culture among a broad audience, to preserve and share the photographic heritage, and to support research and artistic creation.
We view the many uses and forms of photography as different perspectives on the world and its diversity.
Throughout the year, we produce exhibitions and events for everyone, support photographers and researchers, and develop customized projects with a wide variety of audiences, paying particular attention to the regional scene.
We are also working to preserve, study, and share the work of the artists whose photographic archives we maintain, as well as the history of the photo book through our library, which will house nearly 40,000 volumes.
Through our support programs, resources, and outreach initiatives, we are committed to fostering experimentation and promoting dialogue around photography and contemporary issues.
Mindful of our social responsibility as cultural actors, we carry out our activities as part of a sustainable development approach focused on inclusion, moderation, and sharing.
After organizing events on Rue de Thionville (Vieux-Lille) between 2019 and 2023, we are currently continuing our outreach activities with the prospect of a new facility.
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A project built around five pillars that complement and reinforce one another:
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preservation
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broadcast
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artistic and cultural transmission
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support for research and creative work
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edition
Broadcast
Contribute to the promotion of photography
The exhibitions we organize highlight the diversity of the medium’s uses and forms, its history, and its current and future developments. Our programme encourages a critical approach that prompts us to reflect on our relationship with the world, while placing a strong emphasis on contemporary art.
Preservation
Preserve, Pass On, Promote
The Institut pour la photographie is dedicated to accepting, either on deposit or as a donation, the archives of leading figures in photography who are active in France. Preserved in their physical and intellectual integrity, the photographic archives we hold are available for consultation and loan. They undergo specialized conservation treatment and are showcased in exhibitions, publications, educational initiatives, and our scientific and cultural programming.
We currently hold the photographic archives of:
↘︎ Bettina Rheims - since 2021
↘︎ Jean-Louis Schoellkopf - since 2021
↘︎ Agnès Varda — since 2021
↘︎ Pierre Zucca - since 2026
Support for Research and Creative Work
Opening up new horizons and supporting photographers and researchers
At the heart of our missions, support for research and creative work is embodied through several annual or biennial initiatives (Institut Grant, Openfolio, open rendez-vous…), organizing study days and symposia (Francophone Conference on Research in the History of Photography...).
Aimed at developing and integrating various approaches to photography—including the history of photography, the anthropology of images, visual studies, and research in the visual arts—this aspect of our work is also designed to support the professional development of photographers and researchers.
Artistic and Cultural Transmission
Raising Awareness of Photographic Images
We prioritize a collaborative, outreach-based approach to promoting arts education and visual culture among audiences in the Hauts-de-France region.
We prioritize face-to-face learning, develop tools, and collaborate with schools, the medical-social sector, and the justice system to design hands-on workshops.
At the same time, the annual training program "Éveiller le regard" is offered to teachers who are interested in it to provide them with tools for interpreting and critically analyzing photographic images.
Edition
Promoting the book as an object
We are developing a publishing program to disseminate research conducted on the photographers’ archival collections we preserve and to complement the exhibitions we (co-)produce. We also promote the publication of children’s photo books through a biennial support program , launched in 2023 thanks to the patronage of publisher Frédérique Destribats.
The library, a unique destination dedicated to photography books—thanks to Lucien Birgé’s donation of a rich collection of more than 30,000 volumes—and the bookstore, which specializes in contemporary publications, will serve as resources for all audiences.