The Deutsche Borse Foundation prize is one of the biggest annual prizes in photography, with the winners tending to come from a fine art, portrait and documentary background (though not always).

The four shortlisted entrants for the 2024 Deutsche Borse Foundation prize have now been announced – they are VALIE EXPORT, Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad, Lebohang Kganye and Hrair Sarkissian.

Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, VALIE EXPORT

The Birth Madonna, after: Michelangelo Buonarroti. Credit VALIE EXPORT

VALIE EXPORT became notorious from the late 1960s for her radical performances and critical examination of women’s role in society and the arts, with photography being a key part of her creative arsenal.

Deutsche Borse photography prize, Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad

Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad, ‘Mountains and Trees’, 2014, from the series ’Fields of Sight’, 2013, ongoing. Credit: Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad.

Gauri Gill and Rajesh Vangad’s work fuses photography with traditional Warli painting from western India to address the politics of aesthetics, environmental destruction, memory and decolonisation.

Deutsche Borse photography prize, Lebohang Kganye

Re shapa setepe sa lenyalo II, 2013. Credit: Lebohang Kganye

Lebohang Kganye, meanwhile, is a South African photographer whose projects cross personal and collective histories. She draws from oral narratives and fictional texts, exploring South Africa’s complex history before, during and after apartheid and colonialism.

Deutsche Borse photography prize, Hrair Sarkissian

In Between, 2006. Credit: Hrair Sarkissian

The final finalist is Hrair Sarkissian, a Syrian-born conceptual artist whose work is characterised by his austere, large-scale photographs, moving image works, sculptures, sound works and installations.

About the Deutsche Borse photography prize

The Deutsche Borse prize, established in 1996, rewards artists for projects that have made a significant contribution to photography over the previous 12 months. This year’s judging panel includes Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, and Shoair Mavlian, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery.

The winner of the £30,000 prize will be announced at an award ceremony held at The Photographers’ Gallery on 16 May 2024, with the other finalists each receiving £5,000.

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