Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 shortlist announced

December 02, 2011 | Be the first to comment

Pieter Hugo, Rinko Kawauchi, John Stezaker and Christopher Williams have been selected for their work on "issues of critical importance within contemporary photography"

The shortlist has been chosen by an international jury of photography experts. The nominations are:

Pieter Hugo (South Africa) for publication Permanent Error, published by Prestel, Germany, 2011.

Yakubu Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana 2009 © Pieter Hugo. Courtesy of Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town and Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Rinko Kawauchi (Japan) for publication Illuminance, published by Editions Xavier Barral, France, 2011.

Untitled, from the series 'Illuminance' 2009 Copyright © Rinko Kawauchi

Untitled, from the series 'Illuminance' 2007 © Rinko Kawauchi

John Stezaker (UK) for his exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK, Jan-March 2011.

Gothic II by John Stezaker, 2009, Collage, 25.9x20.3 cm, Courtesy of Galerie Gisela Capaitain and The Approach, London

And Christopher Williams (USA) for his exhibition, Kapitalistischer Realismus at Dum umení Ceské Budejovice, Budweis, Czech Republic, May-June 2011.

Christopher Williams: Fachhochschule Aachen, Fachbereich Gestaltung, Studiengang: Visuelle Kommunikation, Fotolabor für Studenten, Boxgraben 100, Aachen, November 8th, 2010

Commenting on the shortlist Brett Rogers, director of The Photographer's Gallery and chair of the Deutsche Börse Photography 2012 judging panel said:

"Each finalist addresses in a timely way issues of critical importance within contemporary photography. Operating between portraiture and social documentary, Pieter Hugo confronts us with the unsettling reality of the impact of e-waste in Ghana; Rinko Kawauchi brings her highly personal sensibility to bear on fragments of everyday life; John Stezaker demonstrates a rigorous exploration of the subversive force of the found image; and finally, alluding to the language of commercial photography, Christopher Williams continuously questions the aesthetic conventions and communication tools that influence our perception of reality.”

The shortlist will be the focus of a Summer 2012 exbition at The Photographer's Gallery in central London. The eventual winner will scoop a £30,000 prize pot.