Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 Goes To John Stezaker

John Stezaker the UK photographer born in 1949 has been awarded the prestigious 2012 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize at a special ceremony in The Photographers’ Gallery this evening, Monday 3 September 2012. The £30,000 award was presented by artist and 2003 winner of the Prize, Juergen Teller.

The Prize is awarded to a photographer of any nationality for their significant contribution to the medium of photography either through an exhibition or publication, in Europe between 1 October 2010 and 30 September 2011. John Stezaker won for his exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (29 January – 18 March 2011). Stezaker’s collages examine our multifaceted relationship to the image. Through his juxtapositions of found photographs, illustrations and stills taken from books, magazines, vintage postcards and classic movies, Stezaker adopts the content and contexts of the original images to create new and poignant meanings.

John Stezaker was chosen by jury members: François Hébel, Director, Les Rencontres d’Arles; Martin Parr, artist; Beatrix Ruf, Director/Curator, Kunsthalle Zürich; and Anne-Marie Beckmann, Curator, Art Collection Deutsche Börse, Germany.

The other shortlisted artists for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012, each awarded £3,000, are: Pieter Hugo (b.1976, South Africa) for his publication Permanent Error, published by Prestel (Germany, 2011); Rinko Kawauchi (b.1972, Japan) for her publication Illuminance, published by Editions Xavier Barral (France, 2011); and Christopher Williams (b. 1956, USA) for his exhibition Kapitalistischer Realismus at Dům umění České Budějovice, Budweis, Czech Republic (5 May – 12 June 2011).

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 is organised by The Photographers’ Gallery and is on show until 9 September 2012 followed by presentations at the Deutsche Börse headquarters in Frankfurt from 14 September until 25 October 2012, and at C/O Berlin, Forum for visual dialogues from 3 November until 13 January 2013.

John Stezaker said: I would like to thank The Photographers’ Gallery for their support throughout the nomination period and the Whitechapel Gallery for hosting the nominated exhibition. Winning the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize today is a great honour, and being part of the exhibition has been a wonderful opportunity to showcase my work alongside other artists whose work I respect.

Brett Rogers, non-voting Chair of the Jury and Director of The Photographers’ Gallery said, on behalf of the jury: The Jury recognized John Stezaker’s outstanding achievement spanning a period of more than thirty years, exploring the subversive force of the found image. Compelling and disruptive, Stezaker’s work has been influential on 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.

Julia Taeschner, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Börse said: Once again, the four finalists of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize have shown important, interesting approaches that reflect the complexity of the European photography scene. We are particularly pleased that the exhibition was presented in the impressive recently reopened premises of Photographers’ Gallery and congratulate this year’s winner John Stezaker.

Visit Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 Here

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