John Stezaker, Marriage (Film Portrait Collage) LXIV (2010)© Courtesy of the artist and The Approach, London
The £30,000 award was presented by the 2003 winner of the Prize, Juergen Teller, at a ceremony at the Photographer’s Gallery last night, September 3.
Stezaker, who won for his 2011 exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, specialises in collages that question our relationships with images. Using found photographs, illustrations and stills taken from books, magazines, vintage postcards and classic movies, he creates new, surreal imagery that subverts the context of the original to create new and poignant meanings.
He described winning the Prize as “a great honour” and said being part of the exhibition had “been a wonderful opportunity to showcase my work alongside other artists whose work I respect.”
Brett Rogers, the non-voting Chair of the Jury and Director of The Photographers’ Gallery, said Stezaker’s work was “compelling and disruptive,” and had influenced “a new generation of image-makers who have been inspired by his unswerving commitment to his practice".
“Within the vastness of today’s image flow, Stezaker has managed to resurrect the power and uncanny mystery inherent in the still image using traditional photographic strategies, most especially collage,” he added.
The other shortlisted artists for the Prize, each awarded £3,000, were Pieter Hugo, Rinko Kawauchi and Christopher Williams. Photographs by all four artists are on show at the gallery until September 9 2012.
More pictures:
John Stezaker, Betrayal (Film Portrait Collage) XVIII (2012)© Courtesy of the artist and The Approach, London
John Stezaker, Untitled (2010)© Courtesy of the artist and The Approach, London
John Stezaker, Untitled III, Reader (2012)© Courtesy of the artist and The Approach, London
John Stezaker, Untitled II, Reader (2012)© Courtesy of the artist and The Approach, London
