Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2016

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2016 is an annual award established by The Photographers’ Gallery, London in 1996 and in partnership with Deutsche Börse Group since 2005. The 30,000 GBP prize rewards a living photographer, of any nationality, for a specific body of work in an exhibition or publication format, which is felt to have significantly contributed to photography and was presented in Europe between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015.

The four artists shortlisted for the 2016 prize are Laura El-Tantawy, Erik Kessels, Trevor Paglen and Tobias Zielony. Works by the shortlisted photographers will be exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery from Friday, April 15 until Sunday, July 3 and subsequently presented at the Deutsche Börse headquarters in Frankfurt/Eschborn.

The projects for which they are nominated will be on show at The Photographers’ Gallery London from April 15 until July 5. They are:

Laura El-Tantawy (b. 1980, UK/Egypt) for her self-published photobook In the Shadow of the Pyramids (2015). In images that span 2005 to 2014, this project depicts the atmosphere and rising tensions in Cairo in the events that exploded in the January revolution in Tahrir Square (2011-2013). El-Tantawy grew up between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the US.  In the Shadow of the Pyramids explores parallel narratives of her own family’s history with the search for the identity of a troubled nation. She combines old family photographs and her own lyrical witness accounts with close-up portraits of protestors and street scenes that vividly express the violence and euphoria of the crowds.

Erik Kessels (b. 1966, The Netherlands) for his exhibition Unfinished Father at Fotografia Europea, Reggio Emilia, Italy (May 15–July 31, 2015). In this work, Kessels uses his father’s unfinished restoration project of an old Fiat 500 Topolino as a way of unpacking his current condition—his father suffered a debilitating stroke. He brings the pieces of the unassembled body of the car into the exhibition space and presents it alongside photographs of car parts and images taken by his father to reflect upon the fragmented realities of loss, memory and a life unraveling.

Trevor Paglen (b. 1974, USA) for his exhibition The Octopus at Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany (June 20–August 30, 2015). Paglen’s project explores complex topics such as mass surveillance, data collection, classified satellite and drone activities and the systems of power connected to them. His installation comprises images of restricted military and government areas, skylines showing the flight tracks of passing drones, sculptural elements and research assembled in collaboration with scientists, amateur astronomers and human rights activists. Through his work Paglen demonstrates that secrets cannot be hidden from view, as their traces and structures leave visible evidence in the landscape.

Tobias Zielony (b. 1973, Germany) for The Citizen, exhibited as part of the German Pavilion presentation at the 56th Biennale of Arts, Venice, Italy (May 9–November 22, 2015). Mostly taken in Berlin and Hamburg, Zielony’s photographs portray the lives and circumstances of African refugee activists living in Europe. Fleeing violence and oppression in their home countries, many arrive in the West in search of freedom and security only to find themselves living as outsiders in refugee camps without legal representation or work permits. Presented alongside the images are first person accounts, interviews and narratives published by Zielony in African newspapers and magazines reporting on the immigrants’ experiences and journeys.

The winner of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2016 will be announced at a special award ceremony held at The Photographers’ Gallery on Thursday, June 2.


*Top left: Laura El-Tantawy, Faces of a Revolution #7: Safeya's Tears, 2012. © Laura El-Tantawy. Courtesy of the artist. Top right: Erik Kessels, Unfinished Father, 2015. © Erik Kessels. Courtesy of the artist. Bottom left: Trevor Paglen, They Watch the Moon, 2010. © Trevor Paglen. Courtesy of the artist. Bottom right: Tobias Zielony, The Citizen, 2015. © Tobias Zielony. Courtesy of KOW Berlin, Lia Rumma, Naples and the artist.