Frida Orupabo, Batwoman, 2021 © Frida Orupabo. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City
The prize, which was established in 1966, annually recognises artists and their projects that are considered to have made the most significant contribution to photography over the previous 12 months.
The annual exhibition of shortlisted projects will be on show at The Photographers’ Gallery until 11 June 2023. The winner of the award will be announced in a ceremony at the gallery on 11 May, where they will be rewarded with a £30,000 prize. Each of the other finalists will receive
£5,000.
Arthur Jafa, Bloods II, 2020 © Arthur Jafa Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Brett Rogers, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery and voting Chair, said: “Our shortlist for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 exemplifies photography’s resounding power and resonance right now. Each artist addresses subjects which drive forward debate about the nature of the medium and the role it plays in history and society.
Bieke Depoorter explores the ethical implications of the relationship between the photographer and their subject; Samuel Fosso exploits the versatility of the medium to construct disparate personal identities; Frida Orupabo throws fresh light on the Black female body through her extraordinary multi-layered collages and Arthur Jafa uncompromisingly articulates Black experience, drawing upon his rich archive of historical images, film and music.”
Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, said: “As always, it has been a privilege to be part of the jury for this year’s Prize. With the rest of the jury, I was deeply impressed by the exceptional quality and range of submissions this year. Once again the submissions sparked animated debate and reinforced the urgent role and ongoing relevance of contemporary photography.
Together, this shortlisted group of extraordinary artists shows us new and challenging ways to look at the world around us, addressing both personal and universal perspectives. This annual Prize is a key foundation of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation’s mission to create a diverse cultural landscape in which international artists can flourish. Alongside other projects, we intend to achieve this goal through our long-standing
partnership with the Photographer’s Gallery.”
Samuel Fosso, Autoportrait, from the series 70s Lifestyle, 1976 © Samuel Fosso. Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris
See the work of the 2023 finalists and their exhibitions below.
Bieke Depoorter – A Chance Encounter, C/O Berlin
Bieke Depoorter, Michael at home, Portland, Oregon, USA, May 2015 © Bieke Depoorter/Magnum Photos. Courtesy the artist
“Bieke Depoorter (b. 1986, Kortrijk, Belgium) blurs the traditional relationship between photographer and subject. The exhibition presents two unfolding, ongoing, bodies of work, Agata and Michael. Here, a chance encounter develops into an enduring personal relationship and, thereafter, into an interrogation of the medium.”
Bieke Depoorter, We walked together, Portland, Oregon, USA, May 2015 © Bieke Depoorter/Magnum Photos. Courtesy the artist
Samuel Fosso – Samuel Fosso at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Samuel Fosso, Self-Portrait (Tommie Smith) from the series African Spirits, 2008 © Samuel Fosso. Courtesy the artist and JM Patras, Paris
“Since the mid-1970s, Samuel Fosso (b. 1962, Kumba, Cameroon) has dedicated his artistic practice to self-portraits and performative photography. Fosso’s retrospective exhibition traces a career of almost 50 years and comprises more than 300 prints. The exhibition brings together iconic series, lesser-known works, as well as archival material and previously unpublished images, displayed principally in large-scale ensembles.”
Samuel Fosso, Self-Portrait (Angela Davis) from the series African Spirits, 2008 © Samuel Fosso. Courtesy the artist and JM Patras, Paris
Arthur Jafa – Live Evil at Luma, Arles
Arthur Jafa, Ex-Slave Gordon 1863, 2017 © Arthur Jafa Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery Photography by Andrea Rossetti
“Arthur Jafa (b. 1960, Tupelo, Mississippi, United States) is an artist and filmmaker. Nominated for the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of his work to date, Jafa draws upon a substantial archive of film and still images, creating visceral, dynamic films and room-sized installations.”
Arthur Jafa, Monster, 1988 © Arthur Jafa Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Frida Orupabo – I have seen a million pictures of my face and still I have no idea, Fotomuseum Winterthur
Frida Orupabo, Turning, 2021 © Frida Orupabo Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City
“The sculptural collages and digital works of Frida Orupabo (b. 1986, Sarpsborg, Norway) are multi-layered formations, exploring questions of race, sexuality and identity. Orupabo, a Norwegian Nigerian artist and sociologist, grounds her inquiry in her own experience of cultural belonging.”
Frida Orupabo, Seated with two hands, 2021 © Frida Orupabo. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City
“Utilising visual material circulating online, spanning colonial-era photographs and ethnographic relics to contemporary imagery, Orupabo’s hand-wrought works re-arrange and re-make the archive.”
Frida Orupabo, A lil help, 2021 © Frida Orupabo Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nordenhake, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City
