The Festival du Regard dedicates its eighth edition to the fascinating theme of the animal, exploring the complex relationships between humans and animals. This subject, rooted in artistic, scientific, and social history, questions our belonging to this realm and reveals an ambivalent closeness: from domesticated animals to those caged, protected, or studied. Since prehistoric times, animal representations have symbolized the ancient bonds between humans and animals, from rock art to cabinets of curiosities.

In our era, marked by the sixth mass extinction, the urgency to preserve biodiversity underscores the fragility of our shared world. This edition, on view at the Carreau de Cergy-Pontoise from November 12, 2024, to March 2, 2025, features fifteen photographers: Nathalie Baetens, Laurent Ballesta, Tim Flach, Daniel Gebhart de Koekkoek, Tina Merandon, Marta Bogdanska, Vincent Munier, Pentti Sammallahti, Annie Marie Musselman, Michel Vanden Eeckhoudt, Jean-François Spricigo, along with classics Richard and Cherry Kearton and Étienne Jules Marey.

These artists capture the beauty, vulnerability, and diversity of animals, whether naturalized, photographed in their habitat, or transformed into contemporary art objects. In tribute to those, like writer John Berger, who truly see animals, the festival invites us to reflect on our profound bond with life, through perspectives filled with respect and intelligence.

Sylvie Hugues and Mathilde Terraube – Artistic Directors of the Festival du Regard