Agnès Geoffray and Vanessa Desclaux

The Photography Exhibition They stray, They persist, They thunder, the result of a research project led by independent curator and researcher Vanessa Desclaux and photographer Agnès Geoffray, is presented as part of the 23rd edition of the Photaumnales in Clermont (Oise), from September 20 to December 6, 2026.

The Exhibition They stray, They persist, They thunder explores the archives of the “conservation schools", correctional facilities for minors that were closed in 1951. A long-term research project conducted jointly by artist Agnès Geoffray and art historian Vanessa Desclaux.

This project was supported and developed, in particular, as part of the 2023 edition of our Research and Creative Work Grant Program . The exhibition was co-produced by the Arles Photography Festival , the Le Locle Museum of Fine Arts (MBAL) in Switzerland and Countertype in Brussels, Belgium.

Following an exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris, and then at the Rencontres d'Arles, They stray, They persist, They thunder is once again meeting with the public, this time in the Hauts-de-France region.

Les Photaumnales — from September 20 to December 6 2026

↘︎ Address: Séraphine Louis Cultural Center - 11 rue du Donjon - 60600 Clermont - France

↘︎ Hours: open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm

↘︎ Entry: free

This exhibition is presented by Diaphane as part of the Photaumnales in partnership with the Institut pour la photographie. This project is certified by the French Ministry of Culture as part of the The Bicentennial of Photography —Bicentenaire de la Photographie— and is part of its official program.

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