THE DEUTSCHE BÖRSE PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE AT THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S GALLERY

Since finishing my exams early I have had a little more valuable spare time than usual, so I thought I would review something a little different for a change - the Deutsche Börse photography prize, currently on show at the Photographer’s Gallery, Ramillies Street. I’ve never studied art or photography and when I go to exhibitions it’s typically just for fun, so I apologise if I sound like I don’t really know what I’m talking about – it’s because I don’t.

The Deutsche Börse photography prize is an annual event which is currently celebrating its eighteenth year. The £30,000 prize has established the careers of many budding photographers, including last year’s winner Richard Mosse for his exhibition entitled Enclave. Enclave portrayed the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where rich and unnatural hues resemble a war-torn and derelict environment.

Richard Mosse's Enclave
http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/

 The first nomination from this year that captured my attention was Zanele Mukoki’s black and white portraits of South Africa’s LGBTI community. The photographs were accompanied with touching and memorable accounts of mistreatment and abuse, particularly the ‘curative rape’ of black gay women. To me, the portraits were especially poignant due to their stripped-back minimalism: nothing fancy has been done with the editing of the images, and it highlighted how the focus of the project was truly on the stories of the people captured, and the horrors they had faced.

Zanele Mukoki's Faces and Phases

My favourite entry, however, was Nikolai Bakharev’s work with Russian bathers in the 80’s/90’s to show public displays of affection, romance and intimacy in a time when this was forbidden. The images represent rebellion, but the facial expressions and stances within the shots seem quite enclosed and uncomfortable, suggesting that rule-breaking was an enormous risk. The people in the images sit close to bushes, which I find is rather ironic as the content of the photo portrays rebellion and freedom. It’s almost as if they’ve last-minute decided to shelter themselves for fear of the consequences of their actions.

Nikolai Bakharev's exhibition at the 55th Biennale of Art in Venice

Personally, I find looking at photography a very different experience to enjoying other art exhibitions. When looking at works that have been painted/sculpted/drawn (etc…) a lot of my appreciation goes towards the artist’s craft and talent, and perhaps I overlook the motivation and meaning behind the piece. With photography, the scenes are real and have actually occurred in order for them to be photographed, so a touching image appears more memorable and relevant. I really enjoyed this exhibition and am looking forward to the announcement of the winner!

The Deutsche Börse photography prize is on at The Photographer's Gallery until Monday 7th June