prix pictet 2012 shortlist announced

the prix pictet photography award has just announced its 12 shortlisted nominees above: mohamed bourouissa: ‘le reflet’ series: ‘périphérique’ location: paris (2007-2008) medium: C-print image © mohamed bourouissa, prix pictet LTD

twelve shortlisted artists have been announced in consideration for the ‘prix pictet‘ annual global award in photography and sustainability. now in its fourth cycle, the award takes the idea of ‘power’ as its 2012 theme:

‘the same forces that result in disaster and despair can also generate hope and renewal. advances in technology to generate renewable energymean that the powers of the wind, the sea and the sun can now be converted into sustainable forms of energy.‘

the 12 shortlisted artists are:

– robert adams (USA, b. 1937) for the series ‘turning back’ – daniel beltrá (spain, b. 1964) for the series ‘spill’ – mohamed bourouissa (algeria/france, b. 1978) for the series ‘périphérique’ – philippe chancel (france, b. 1959) for the series ‘fukushima: the irresistible power of nature’ – edmund clark (UK, b. 1963) for the series ‘guantanamo: if the light goes out’ – carl de keyzer (belgium, b. 1958) for the series ‘moments before the flood’ – luc delahaye (france, b. 1962) for the series ‘body of work’ – rena effendi (azerbaijan, b. 1977) for the series ‘still life in the zone’ – jacqueline hassink (netherlands, b. 1966) for the series ‘arab domains’ – an-my lê (USA/vietnam, b. 1961) for the series ’29 palms’ – joel sternfeld (USA, b. 1944) for the series ‘when it changed’ – guy tillim (south africa, b. 1962) for the series ‘congo democratic’

the winner of the fourth ‘prix pictet’ will be announced on october 9th, 2012, at the opening of the finalists’ exhibition of shortlisted works at the saatchi gallery in london. the exhibitions runs from october 10th – 28th, 2012.

edmund clark: ‘camp one, exercise cage’ series: ‘guantanamo: if the light goes out’ location: guantanamo bay detention facility, cuba (2009) image © edmund clark, prix pictet LTD

founded by the bank pictet & cie, the ‘prix pictet’ comprises two elements: a 100,000 CHF (~104,000 USD) prize, and the ‘commission’, in which one of the nominated photographers is invited to undertake a photographic field trip to a region where the bank is supporting a sustainability project. previous years’ themes were ‘water’, ‘earth’, and ‘growth’.

this year’s jury includes martin roth, director of the victoria and albert museum in london; fumio nanjo, director of the mori art museum in tokyo; michael fried, art historian and critic; and professor sir david king, former chief scientific adviser to the UK government; as well as last year’s prix pictet winner, mitch epstein.

guy tillim: ‘the statue of the explorer henry morton stanley which overlooked kinshasa in colonial times. it rests on a steamboat that belonged to the african international association, a company publicly charged by leopold II with a philanthropic and ‘civilising’ mission that veiled its true purpose of annexing and exploiting natural resources. the statue was removed during the mobutu period of africanisation in the 1970s and dumped in a government transport lot in kinshasa’ series: ‘congo democratic’ location: kinshasa, democratic republic of the congo (september 2003) medium: inkjet print image © guy tillim, prix pictet LTD

carl de keyzer: ‘isola di capo rizzuto, italy’ series: ‘moments before the flood’ location: italy (2010) medium: digital print image © carl de keyzer, prix pictet LTD

jacqueline hassink: ‘elham m. zeadat general manager and owner of bloom dead sea gift enterprise’ series: ‘arab domains’ location: amman, jordan (11 february 2005) medium: C-print image © jacqueline hassink, prix pictet LTD

joel sternfeld: ‘stéphane dion, minister of the environment, canada’ series: ‘when it changed: photographs from the 11th united nations conference on climate change location: montréal, canada (28 november – 9 december 2005) medium: pigment print image © joel sternfeld, prix pictet LTD

daniel beltrá: ‘oil spill #1 a plume of smoke rises from a burn of collected oil. a total of 411 controlled burns were used to try to rid the gulf of the most visible surface oil’ series: ‘spill’ location: gulf of mexico (17 june 2010) medium: C-print image © daniel beltrá, prix pictet LTD

  philippe chancel: ‘higashimaecho_GPS_39°16’23’’N 141°53’36’’E – 2011-06-1 4 _ 07 :59: 36 G.M.T’ series: ‘fukushima: the irresistible power of nature’ location: japan/tohoko (2011) medium: O-pritn under diasec image © philippe chancel, prix pictet LTD

philippe chancel: ‘rikusentakata_GPS_39° 1’ 14’’ N 141° 37’23‘’E-2011-06-13_03 :48 :35 G.M.T’ series: ‘fukushima: the irresistible power of nature’ location: japan/tohoko (2011) medium: O-pritn under diasec image © philippe chancel, prix pictet LTD

luc delahaye: ‘132nd ordinary meeting of the conference’ series: ‘body of work’ location: OPEC headquarters, vienna (15 september 2004) medium: digital C-print © luc delahaye, prix pictet LTD courtesy galerie nathalie obadia, paris/brussels

an-my lê: ’embassy medevac’ series: ’29 palms’ location: twentynine palms, california (2003-2004) medium: gelatin silver print image © an-my lê, prix pictet LTD

robert adams: ‘clatsop county, oregon’ series: ‘turning back’ location: oregon (1999) medium: gelatin silver print image © robert adams, prix pictet LTD

rena effendi: ‘birch tree growing through the floor of an abandoned GYM in the ghost town of pripyat. following the radioactive fallout after the nuclear accident the entire population of prypiats had been evacuated and never returned home’ series: ‘still life in the zone’ location: chernobyl, ukraine (december 2010) medium: digigraphie print on ultrasmooth art paper image © rena effendi, prix pictet LTD

rena effendi: ‘gas masks scattered on the floor of a school lobby in the abandoned city of prypiats. as a result of the nuclear accident and the subsequent radioactive fallout the entire population of prypiats had been evacuated and never returned home’ series: ‘still life in the zone’ location: chernobyl, ukraine (december 2010) medium: digigraphie print on ultrasmooth art paper image © rena effendi, prix pictet LTD