The prestigious annual Deutsche Börse
Photography Prize is awarded to a living photographer, of any nationality, for
a specific body of published or exhibited work “that has significantly
contributed to photography”, in this case between October 2013 and November
2014. The award contributes to photography what the Turner prize does for art:
candidates with a conceptual and/or experimental approach to their work tend to
be favoured and often their work crosses into other genres.
This year’s artists ranged from
the unknown (Nikolai Bakharev) to the well-known (Viviane Sassen) and, as is
usually the case, covered a wide range of styles and genres. What follows is a
brief overview of the work of each of the four artists that was exhibited at
the gallery, together with my thoughts about their work. I should stress that,
as a relative newcomer to conceptual photographic art, my opinions are to some
extent based on a naïve assessment of my enjoyment of each artist’s work.
Nikolai Bakharev (Image 1)
Image 1: Nikolai
Bakharev
The Russian photographer Nikolai Bakharev
was nominated for his work: “Relationship”, which was exhibited at the Venice
Biennale in 2013. His well-composed monochrome portraits of couples, families,
friends and lovers at leisure on or near Russian beaches are, taken at face
value, disarmingly straightforward. Their significance is that they were taken
at a time (the late 1980s and early 1990s) when only official state
photographers were allowed to take photographs. At beach resorts families or
individuals would queue to have their photographs taken in state booths, with
formal poses. Bakharov’s photographs, taken clandestinely, provided a more
intimate atmosphere for staged and informal portraits, giving a rare glimpse of
the Russians genuinely at leisure.
The purpose of Bakharev’s work
(to raise money in order to support his personal work) and the purpose of the
exhibition (to provide rare insight into the way of life of Russians at leisure
at a time when this type of photography was prohibited by the state) are both
clear. Additionally, the informality of the photographs, which sometimes appear
to be completely unposed, the settings and the compositions produce a feeling
that the viewer is looking at film stills. I enjoyed viewing Bakharov’s work.
Zanele Muholi (Image 2)
Image 2: Zanele
Muholi
South African photographer Zanele
Muholi was nominated for her publication “Faces and Phases 2006-2014”. Her
monochrome portraits of gay and lesbian black South Africans are, as with
Bakharev’s work, straightforward yet connected by a dark undercurrent – in this
case the persecution (often violent) and alienation of this section of society.
Muholi, who describes herself as a “visual activist”, combines the images with
the personal stories of her subjects. The result is a harrowing tale of
homophobia, violence, “curative rape” and murder.
As is so often the case nowadays,
the power of this portfolio comes not so much from the images themselves, but from
the story line that links them. Histories of violence, “curative rape” and murder
highlight the personal tales of the sitters, all of whom come from the Gay
and Lesbian community in post-apartheid South Africa where, as in so many
African countries, this group is still persecuted. Muholi is making a political
statement, seeking to draw attention to an often hidden crime, through her
photography. The portraits themselves are well executed and presented, mainly
in low key (perhaps appropriate for the subject matter) and with strong contrast.
Should the message be an important consideration when judging a body of
photographic work, particularly when the message comes more from the text
accompanying the images than from the images themselves? The judges will
decide. I was informed by this work, but it was not the most striking from a
photographic point of view.
Viviane Sassen (Image 3)
Image 3 :
Viviane Sassen
Dutch fashion photographer
Viviane Sassen was nominated for her Rotterdam exhibition “Umbra”. As the title
suggests, the work is all about shadows (both literal and metaphorical) and combines
photography with installations, sound and video. This is by far the most
experimental of the four works and, as such, is far less easy to interpret.
Even within the photographic part of the work several genres are covered and
there appears to be no obvious connecting link, other than “shadow”, between
the many sections of this work.
In contrast to Muholi’s work,
Sassen’s appears to be very much “art for art’s sake”. There seems to be little
connection between the various exhibits, some of which (in particular
the video of two floating arms with their projected shadows that accompanies a
poem by Maria Barnas, apparently rendering the poem in sign language) I enjoyed. The work
is full of originality (particularly in her use of mirrors), but it was too
vague and too abstract for my own tastes. I therefore assume that this will be
the winner!
Michael Subotzky and Patrick Waterhouse (Image 4)
Image 4: Michael
Subotzky and Patrick Waterhouse
Subotzky and Waterhouse spent six
years producing this monumental portrait of the huge, 54 storey Ponte City
building in Johannesburg. Built to house aspiring middle class whites during
the apartheid era, the building has undergone several changes. After a failed
regeneration attempt it now houses locals and immigrant workers from across
Africa. The work was published as a book (“Ponte City” – Steidl and Walther,
2014) and copies of the book were available here for perusal together with
hundreds of photographs, many held in light box “towers”, representing views of
and from every apartment in the building.
It is obvious that a huge amount
of work went into this project, probably far more than for the other works
combined. I enjoyed the two dimensional arrays of views from every apartment
window and of every apartment interior, stacked in huge light boxes, which
formed intricate patterns, as well as some of the more panoramic views taken
from both within and outside the building (see for example Image 4).
Photographs of found and/or discarded items from within (often abandoned)
apartments add to the rich tapestry of a huge building that nevertheless
remains a microcosm of South African life and society. If I have a criticism of
this work it is that too much is packed into too small a space. Nevertheless
the work combines some outstanding photography and clever, aesthetically
pleasing display mechanisms with profound social documentary that is, however,
never “in your face”. As such, this would definitely get my vote for the prize.
Final Thoughts
The Deutsche Börse award is not
themed by purpose, genre or type. It must therefore be incredibly hard to
select a winner. Sassen’s work undoubtedly would take the prize for
photographic art, whilst Subotzky and Waterhouse would win for ambition, volume
of work and the best individual photograph(s). Muholi’s work would win for
documentary strength and impact (although the photographs only supplement the
story), whilst Bakharev’s images are the most intimate and engaging. Overall,
the themes of this year’s finalists were much easier to follow than is
generally the case. I look forward to finding out who wins.
How did the exhibition inform my
own work? With the exception of Sassen, the works were built around very clear
documentary themes, something that appeals to me as a scientist turned
photographer. I have discovered that it is very hard to construct a body of
photographic work which does not have a clear goal in mind and the work also
has to reflect my own personal interests, hopes and fears. The exhibits by
Muholi, Subotzky and Waterhouse gave me insights into how to construct that
body of work. However, the artistic freedom of Sassen’s work (in particular the
use of video and mirrors) provided far more creative ideas. Would it be
possible to harness some of this type of creativity and employ it in work
having a strong personal, documentary theme? This must surely be my ultimate challenge!
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