The Glaz photography festival has returned to Rennes, France, for its second edition, showcasing the work of more than 63 photographers through 33 exhibitions hosted by 30 partner organizations. Running from November 17, 2025, through January 4, 2026, this year's festival features 34 female photographers among its participants, with all exhibitions offering free admission to the public.
The festival's theme this year focuses on "actors of love and rebellion," designed to echo the upheavals of our time, according to organizers from the eponymous association that sponsors the event. The programming aims to offer a sensitive, curious, and open perspective on the world through the lens of photography. Among the extensive and diverse lineup, five exhibitions stand out as particularly noteworthy.
The flagship exhibition "Gathered Leaves" at Champs Libres features Alec Soth, a major American photographer of his generation, alongside four young photographers from the American photography scene. Soth, a member of the prestigious Magnum agency, has received numerous distinctions including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. This exhibition runs until March 8, 2026, at the Champs Libres venue in Rennes.
British artist Siân Davey presents "The Garden," an outdoor exhibition at the University of Rennes 2 on the Villejean campus, continuing until February 6, 2026. Davey and her children transformed their abandoned family garden into a cultivated green space adorned with wildflowers, creating an open place for anyone who wishes to pass through. In this series, the artist photographed moments of life featuring both her children and complete strangers who visited the space.
"Icons" by Cédric Martigny showcases work from the winner of the Glaz International Prize (Seoul 2024), who was invited to Korea last year to photograph the LGBTQIA+ community. In this series, the intimate and political blend together, with each photographed person accompanying their image with "a letter to themselves" that visitors can read during the exhibition. This display runs until November 29 at L'Instantané, located at 6 Cour des Alliés in Rennes.
Renowned photographer Richard Dumas from the VU agency, famous for photographing celebrated artists including Miles Davis, Patti Smith, and Keith Richards, is featured in "24 Images - 24 Cinema Portraits." This exhibition at La Confluence in Betton displays twenty-four portraits and continues until March 1. Dumas's work represents some of the most iconic celebrity photography of recent decades.
Finally, "À vos amours" (To Your Loves) by Anne-Cécile Esteve presents approximately twenty photographs displayed in the La Courrouze district near the metro station until January 18, 2026. As part of the Tombées de la Nuit festival and with the help of Rennes residents, Esteve collected about fifty testimonies of love stories. Using this material as inspiration, the artist photographed various places and people, creating a unique documentation of contemporary romance.
The festival represents a significant cultural event for the Brittany capital, bringing together established and emerging photographers to explore themes of human connection and social change through the powerful medium of photography.
