Arles in summertime is myriad festivals, activities and exhibitions which draw visitors from all over the world to this inspirational city in the south of France. It was once a provincial capital of ancient Rome and its stunning Roman amphitheater is mercifully and beautifully intact. The Arles Amphitheater (Les Arènes d’Arles) offers a dramatic back drop for the plays, concerts and bullfights that are held there. Les Rencontres d’Arles photo festival is also a main draw, currently underway until October 5th. But this small city also plays host to a lesser known event that has a global reach. 

The Agir pour le Vivant festival (Acting for the Living) is an Arles-based initiative that brings together thinkers, experts and activists to raise awareness of the importance of preserving biodiversity and to initiate cultural and environmental projects. Being held for the sixth time, this year’s festival will be running from August 26th to September 1st. An intriguing exhibition echoing the Festival’s initiatives is underway at the Fondation Thalie in Arles which is presenting a collective exhibition from the Nathalie Guiot Collection underscoring the impact of man on nature and how mankind is ultimately having more of an impact on the planet, surpassing the usual geophysical forces. 

The exhibition, entitled Géologie des âmes (Geology of Souls), brings together works in myriad mediums by 30 international contemporary artists juxtaposed with works in the permanent collection in this beautifully restored 18th century private mansion just footsteps from the amphitheater. The works — photographs, sculptures, videos, drawings and performance art — bring an artist’s insight into ecological and cultural change as well as a return to spirituality. There is an intriguing black and white photograph juxtaposing horse hooves with human feet offering up an anthropomorphic and ritualistic image by Adrian Paci. There is an ethereal tree that could also be a dwelling from Raphaelle Peria. Monica de Miranda, who hails from Portugal, takes a look at post-colonialism and the Portuguese-speaking diaspora between Europe and Africa as evidenced in her multi-layered work, Earthworks. 

Founded in 2014, the Thalie Foundation is an endowment fund for the arts, design and the environment that is committed to contemporary creation through an art center in Brussels and now Arles featuring a program of artist residencies, exhibitions and publications. Nathalie Guiot is a patron of the arts and a pioneer in bringing together contemporary art, design and narratives on ecology. The Geology of Souls exhibition is on in Arles until August 30th and until September 13th by appointment only.  ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette.

34, rue de l’Amphithéâtre, 13200 Arles, France. http://www.fondationthalie.org