Photography exhibition – Roland-Garros: Perpetual Movement

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and French photography magazine Polka have joined forces – with the support of Rolex, a premium partner of the tournament – to stage the photography exhibition Roland-Garros: Perpetual Movement. Held at three different locations during the course of this year’s Parisian Grand Slam, the exhibition aims to highlight the architectural heritage of Roland-Garros and its development over the years.

Three sources

Built in 1928, the Stade Roland-Garros has given millions of spectators the chance to watch the finest players from France and around the world in action. Aside from that incredible sporting heritage, this world-famous venue has undergone a process of continual change, one founded on modernity and respect for values and traditions.

In seeking to put the spotlight on the venue’s tangible and intangible heritage and its bold and continually renewed architecture, the FFT – in collaboration with Polka magazine and with the support of Roland-Garros premium partner Rolex – is organising an outstanding photography exhibition called Roland-Garros: Perpetual Movement.

The exhibition will feature photographs from three sources:

• Archive photographs from a number of collections, including those of the FFT and Keystone France. These photos depict both unusual and legendary moments in the history of Roland-Garros.
• The work of the photojournalist Edouard Elias, whose images focus on the work that goes into preparing the clay courts. “I’d never wondered where the clay came from or realised how perfectly it was laid out on the courts,” he said in conversation with Polka in its March 2022 issue. “I now know that its takes extraordinary skill.”
• Project phots taken by Romain Meffre and Yves Marchand, who were asked to capture the architectural scale of the venue and its refurbishment, not least the new roof of the Court Philippe-Chatrier, which was opened in 2020. “We wanted to show that there are several  styles from different eras living side by side,” Marchand told Polka.

Three exhibition venues

The exhibition will be held at three different venues during the course of Roland-Garros 2022, to allow as many people as possible to attend: Galerie Polka (Cour de Venise, 12 Rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris) from 17 to 21 May; Stade Roland-Garros from 18 May to 5 June; and on the railings at the Tour Saint-Jacques in Paris’ fourth arrondissement from 21 May to 20 June, thanks to the support of Paris City Hall. The exhibition can also be seen online at the Factory Polka website from 17 May, giving even more people the chance to see it.

Prints of the photographs on display will be available online and at Galerie Polka, with the proceeds going to Terre d’Impact, the FFT’s endowment fund.