GLAZ Festival
International Photography Biennale in Rennes
2025
About GLAZ Festival
GLAZ Festival, an international photography gathering, is a biennial event in Rennes dedicated to artistic and socially engaged photography. Established in 2019 by Jean-Christophe Godet, former director of the Guernsey Photography Festival, it brings together dozens of French and international artists every odd-numbered year across some thirty venues in Rennes Métropole and other Breton towns. The festival features exhibitions alongside screenings, performances, lectures, portfolio reviews, and participatory workshops, all with free admission.
GLAZ Festival — edition 2025
The second edition of the GLAZ Festival took place from November 17, 2025, to January 4, 2026, in Rennes and across some thirty locations throughout Brittany, centered on the theme "Acts of Love and Rebellion." The event brought together 63 artists, including 34 women, for 33 exhibitions—featuring the first-ever French retrospective of American photographer Alec Soth at Les Champs Libres, a therapeutic garden by British artist Siân Davey at Université Rennes 2, and a monograph by documentary filmmaker Paul Reas at the Carré d'Art in Chartres-de-Bretagne.
A second edition dedicated to love and rebellion
Two years after an inaugural edition focused on the urgency of the world, the GLAZ Festival returned with a more intimate theme: "Acts of Love and Rebellion." 63 artists of various nationalities—34 women and 29 men—showcased their work across 33 exhibitions spread throughout some thirty venues in the Rennes metropolitan area and other Breton towns.
A traveling caravan for the closing
Alongside the exhibition schedule, the Trigone collective presented the photographic performance "À l'origine du cœur" on September 6, 2026, at Les Champs Libres. This mobile film laboratory allowed visitors to leave with a print of their own heartbeat, captured as part of the LUX Tour—a traveling initiative by the LUX Network among its member festivals, in partnership with Les Tombées de la Nuit.
Highlights GLAZ Festival 2025
- Alec Soth, "Gathered Leaves" retrospective, a French premiere - Les Champs Libres
- Siân Davey, her garden transformed into a space of healing and memory - Université Rennes 2, La Chambre Claire
- Paul Reas, a monograph of British documentary photography (November 21, 2025 - March 8, 2026) - Carré d'Art, Chartres-de-Bretagne
- "À l'origine du cœur," a traveling performance by the Trigone collective (LUX Tour), September 6, 2026 - Les Champs Libres
Programme GLAZ Festival 2025
The GLAZ Festival is a biennial exhibition event rather than a series of scheduled performances: each venue is open to the public for the entire duration of the festival, from November 17, 2025, to January 4, 2026, according to its own operating hours. Key exhibitions and venues announced by the organizers:
- Alec Soth, "Gathered Leaves" · Les Champs Libres, Rennes
- Siân Davey · La Chambre Claire, Université Rennes 2
- Paul Reas · Carré d'Art, Chartres-de-Bretagne (November 21, 2025 - March 8, 2026)
- Exhibitions along the route · 360, Rennes
- Exhibitions along the route · Le Phakt, Rennes
- Exhibitions along the route · Superflux, Bazouges-la-Pérouse
- Exhibitions along the route · Artothèque, Vitré
- Exhibitions along the route · L'Aparté, Iffendic
Full details on all 33 exhibitions and specific dates for each venue are available on the official website: glaz-festival.com.
Off-site events - September 6, 2026
- 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM - "À l'origine du cœur," a photographic performance by the Trigone collective (LUX Tour, LUX Network), in partnership with Les Tombées de la Nuit · Les Champs Libres, Rennes
GLAZ Festival — 2026 edition
The 2025 edition was held from 17 November to 4 January 2026. The dates for the 2026 edition have not been announced yet. This page will be updated as soon as the official programme is published.
Practical information — GLAZ Festival
Practical Information
The festival spans thirty venues throughout Rennes, its metropolitan area, and several other towns in Brittany (Chartres-de-Bretagne, Bazouges-la-Pérouse, Vitré, Iffendic). Admission to all exhibitions is free. Each venue maintains its own opening hours, which should be checked on the official festival website before your visit.
A biennale born from a partnership with Guernsey
The festival originated from a collaboration between cultural figures in Rennes and the Guernsey Photography Festival. The GLAZ association was formed in 2019 to promote contemporary imagery in Rennes, appointing Jean-Christophe Godet, founder of the Guernsey festival, as artistic director. Its name comes from a Breton word describing the shifting color of the sea—a blend of blue, gray, and green—a hue with no direct equivalent in French.
An inaugural edition focused on urgency
The first edition took place from November 16, 2023, to January 7, 2024, centered on the theme "Urgency, the world is in crisis." It featured over 30 artists across thirty locations, including Université Rennes 2, Les Champs Libres, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Maison des associations. The opening weekend included free street portraits taken with an Afghan box camera and portfolio reviews with industry professionals.
Organization and venues
Each edition connects cultural venues in Rennes—such as Les Champs Libres, Université Rennes 2 and its Chambre Claire, Phakt, and 360—with institutions in other Breton towns, including the Carré d'Art in Chartres-de-Bretagne, Superflux in Bazouges-la-Pérouse, the Artothèque in Vitré, and L'Aparté in Iffendic. The festival is a member of the LUX Network, which unites photography festivals and fairs across France.
Where does it take place — GLAZ Festival
GLAZ Festival in brief
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