Untitled from a shimmer of possibility, Paul Graham, 2007. Pic © Paul Graham, courtesy Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
Exhibition Preview: Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, February 20 – April 12, 2009
The 13th annual Deutsche Börse Photography Prize offers four photographers the chance to pocket £30,000 for a “significant contribution to photography in Europe,” with the winner announced at The Photographers’ Gallery on March 25.
UK artist Paul Graham has been nominated for his work on 'A Shimmer of Possibility,' 12 individual volumes of photographic short stories of life in modern America. Inspired by Anton Chekhov’s style, Graham captures the fringes of society, giving poetic qualities to their everyday existence.
White Tiger (Kenny), Selective Inbreeding, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Foundation, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Taryn Simon, 2007. Pic © Taryn Simon, courtesy Steid/Gagosian
“What interests me is the flow of life, particularly its smaller eddies and currents, rather than the obviously spectacular moments that photography is so addicted to,” points out Graham. “Photography has traditionally been about diving into the great stream of time and returning with images that reflect something of the shape of our lives."
Untitled from a shimmer of possibility, Paul Graham, 2007. Pic © Paul Graham, courtesy Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
“I wanted to take pictures of people at the most ordinary everyday moments, cutting the grass, or waiting for the bus, or lighting a cigarette. It was necessary to take a step back and realise that the moment before and the moment after are just as valuable as the instant when he takes the perfect drag on his cigarette."
Untitled from a shimmer of possibility, Paul Graham, 2007. Pic © Paul Graham, courtesy Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
Material for a Film, Kuwait artist Emily Jacir’s documentary about the assassination of Palestinian intellectual Wael Zuwaiter by Israeli agents in Rome in 1972, was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2007.
Zuwaiter’s suspected crime was his part in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympics of the same year, and Jacir uses photographs, objects, texts and interviews to explore the personal and political impact of war and displacement.
Central Park, New York, 1982. Pic © Tod Papageorge, courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York
Veteran American street photographer Tod Papageorge immersed himself in the “free-flowing life” of Central Park to take black and white shots between 1969 and 1971.
Papageorge has taught some of the finest US photographers of the past few decades – Katy Grennan, whose The Westerns show created quite a storm at the Photographers’ Gallery recently, is a former pupil – and his snapshots reflect his ability to anticipate dramatic moments of comedy or poignancy, revealing the character of the park at a time when it was considered a dangerous place after dark.
Installation shot of Material for a film (2004 - ongoing), multimedia installation, Emily Jacir, Italian Pavilion, 52nd International Art Exhibition, Venice. Pic: Giovanni Pancino,courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York, and Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
Taryn Simon exposes the unseen realities of American culture by confronting the obstacles facing “public access to expert knowledge”. Positioning herself as voyeur and informant, her shots include copies of Playboy written in Braille and a portrait of a cancer sufferer on their deathbed.
Central Park, New York, 1982. Pic © Tod Papageorge, courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York
David Campany from the University of Westminster, South African photographer David Goldblatt, Museu d’Art curator Chus Martnez and Art Collection Deutsche Borse curator Anne-Marie Beckmann form this year’s judging panel for pieces which Photographers’ Gallery Chair Brett Rogers feels “redefine the medium of photography and its possibilities as both a conceptual and creative tool.”
Central Park, New York, 1978. Pic © Tod Papageorge, courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York
He credits Simon with a “compelling dissection of the invisible forces that rule our lives”, Jacir with a new approach to Palestinian history, Graham with “the poetry of the everyday” and Papageorge with transforming his subject into “a Shakesperian paean to urban leisure.”
“Each, in their distinct way, attempts to represent the unrepresentable,” he adds. Whoever wins, the Deutsche Borse is definitely an eye-opener.
Installation shot of Material for a film (2004 - ongoing), multimedia installation, Emily Jacir, Italian Pavilion, 52nd International Art Exhibition, Venice. Pic: Giovanni Pancino,courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York, and Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London
Keep up to date with 24 Hour Museum's exhibition news, reviews and previews with iGoogle - a more personal way to use Google.com
