Thuý Linh, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 2015 © Mathieu Asselin, Courtesy of the artist. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

The shortlist for the 21st Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize has been announced, with four artists’ projects nominated.

Photography work by Mathieu Asselin, Rafal Milach, Batia Suter and Luke Willis Thompson has been selected to compete for the prestigious award.

The £30,000 prize will be given an artist who is viewed to have significantly contributed to the medium of photography between September 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017

The award is open to any living photographer, of any nationality, for a specific body of work in an exhibition or publication format in Europe.

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One of the defining aspects of the prize is its emphasis on showcasing all genres and approaches.

Works by the shortlisted photographers will be exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery in London from February 23 to June 3, 2018 before touring to the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt.

The winner will be announced at a special award ceremony on May 17, 2018 in London.

See the shortlisted photographs in our gallery below.


Mathieu Asselin

Van Buren, Indiana, 2013 © Mathieu Asselin. Courtesy of the artist. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Mathieu Asselin has been nominated for his publication Monsanto A Photographic Investigation (Actes Sud, 2017). Asselin’s book looks into the history of the global biotechnology corporation Monsanto, depicting the human, ecological and economical impact of the company’s history. He travelled throughout Vietnam and America to find people and places affected by the company.


Rafal Milach

Khyrdalan, Azerbaijan, 2016 © Rafal Milach. Courtesy of the artist. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Rafal Milach is nominated for his exhibition ‘Refusal’ (12 May – 18 June 2017, Atlas Sztuki Gallery, Lodz, Poland). His photography looks into systems of governmental control, focusing on post-Soviet countries such as Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Poland. He looks at propaganda and its representation in architecture, urban projects and objects. For example, his images include handmade objects found in governmental centres and chess schools.


Batia Suter

Parallel Encyclopedia #2, 2016 © Batia Suter. Courtesy of the artist. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Batia Suter is nominated her publication Parallel Encyclopedia #2 (Roma, 2016), which sources images from roughly 1000 diverse publications collected by the artist about the nature of images and how they are seen. Following on from the first Parallel Encyclopedia, published in 2007, this new volume further looks at the iconification of images and the possibilities of visual editing.


Luke Willis Thompson

Luke Willis Thompson. Autoportrait, 2017. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery 2017. Commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery and produced in partnership with Create. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Andy Keate. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Luke Willis Thompson is nominated for his 35mm film portrait of Diamond Reynolds – ‘Autoportait’. In July 2016, Reynolds broadcast the moments immediately after the fatal shooting of her partner Philando Castile by a police officer during a traffic-stop in Minnesota, United States via Facebook Live. In November 2016, Thompson began working with Reynolds, and her lawyer, on this ‘sister-image’ to Reynolds’ video broadcast.


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