Deutsche Börse Photography Prize

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The winner of the annual Deutsche Börse Photography Prize was announced on 25 March 2009: Paul Graham. Congratulations.

Other photographers, who were shortlisted for this year’s prize, are: Emily Jacir, Tod Papageorge und Taryn Simon.

(27.02.2009) Paul Graham (b. 1956, UK) is nominated for his publication a shimmer of possibility (steidlMACK, October 2007). a shimmer of possibility comprises twelve individual volumes of photographic short stories of life in contemporary America. Graham infuses lyricism into the most mundane of everyday human activities – fetching mail or lighting a cigarette – and creates quiet photographic moments, ‘filmic haikus’, which suggest and hint at a narrative but ultimately remain open-ended. At once poetic and political, his photographs manage to draw out something truly profound from the almost-nothingness of everyday life.

Emily Jacir (b. 1970, Kuwait) is nominated for her installation Material for a film, shown at the Venice Biennale 2007 (7 June – 21 November 2007). Material for a film documents the assassination of the Palestinian intellectual Wael Zuwaiter by Israeli agents in Rome in 1972 for what they believed was his role in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics of that year. Using photographs, objects, texts and interviews, Jacir combines the role of archivist, activist, and poet to create a poignant work of art that is at once intensely personal and deeply political and bears witness to a culture torn apart by war and displacement.

Tod Papageorge (b. 1940, USA) is nominated for the exhibition Passing Through Eden – Photographs of Central Park, exhibited at Michael Hoppen Gallery, London (7 March – 12 April 2008). Taken between 1969 and 1991, Papageorge’s black & white photographs of Manhattan’s Central Park are less a document of a place than an urban version of the Garden of Eden. Immersing himself in the free-flowing life of the park, Papageorge has created a body of work that joins the grace of ‘street photography’ to the beauty of exact photographic description, a union that grants his photographs an expressive breadth ranging from surreal comedy to intimations of despair.

Taryn Simon (b. 1975, USA) is nominated for her solo exhibition An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar at The Photographers’ Gallery, London (13 September – 11 November 2007). Assuming the dual role of shrewd informant and collector of curiosities, Simon compiles a photographic inventory of what lies hidden and inaccessible within the borders of the United States. At once chilling and beautiful, her photographs and texts document diverse subjects from the realms of science, government, medicine, entertainment, nature, security, and religion. Examining that which is integral to America's foundation and mythology, Simon creates a collection of works that reflect on and reveal a national identity.

The Photographers' Gallery in London is the opening venue for the exhibition between 20 February – 12 April 2009. Later the exhibition will be shown at the C/O Berlin and the Deutsche Börse Group headquarters in Frankfurt.

More on the website - The Photographers' gallery

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2008
Winner 2008 Esko Männikkö. Nominees : John Davies, Jacob Holdt, and Fazal Sheikh.

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2007
Winner 2007 : Walid Raad - project The Atlas Group. Shortlisted : Philippe Chancel, Anders Petersen, Fiona Tan.

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2006
Winner 2006 : Robert Adams. Shortlisted : Yto Barrada, Phil Collins and Alec Soth.

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2005
Winner 2005 : Luc Delahaye. Shortlisted : JH Engström, Jörg Sasse and Stephen Shore.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize aims to reward a contemporary photographer of any nationality, who has made the most significant contribution (exhibition or publication) to the medium of photography in Europe in the previous year.

The Prize was originally set up in 1996 by The Photographers' Gallery in London to promote the best of contemporary photography. Deutsche Börse has sponsored the £30,000 prize since 2005. The Prize showcases new talents and highlights the best of international photography practice.