Winners 2016
Winners 2016
And the winners are…
These five artists have been selected from 900 applications from 94 countries to be awarded with POPCAP '16, the piclet.org Prize for Contemporary African Photography. A panel of 20 international experts from the field of photography has carefully reviewed the overwhelming amount of submissions to this fifth anniversary edition of the the prize.
Nicolas HENRY
Born in 1978 in St Denis, France. Lives in les Mesnuls, France
www.nicolashenry.com
African Tales from today, 2012–2014
Work statement: This series is a set of photographs taken with communities in Africa (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar and Namibia) and in the African communities living in the French suburb of Paris. The aim of the project is close over time to a traveling theater. So the tales took shape around Africa. The scenes of large size are made with objects found on site. The scenography is set up with the local community in order to evoke the narrative you see in the image. Each story is decided and shared as a commitment of models. The photographic moment is similar to a theater because many people come to attend this "performance" , the eye of the audience creates a new dialogue. The unified group expresses not only its vision to the world, but he tries to share it with his own community too.
A troop of Indians won the war against the Cowboys in Madagascar, a Christian and a Muslim families are building together a Mosque-Church in Ethiopia. Sometimes it speaks about the revolt against the separating elements of life, borders , discrimination , violence ... Other times it is the mutual enrichment and solidarity that are the hope , or the development of new ideas. From two humans to a whole group, they wished to defend a philosophical view, humanistic, or poetics that reflects their local issues, and their own world vision.
Jason Larkin
Born in 1979 in London, England. Lives in London, England
www.jasonlarkin.co.uk
Waiting, 2013–2015
Work Statement: While living in Johannesburg, I was struck by the ever-present reality of people waiting. Inactive yet expectant, this condition becomes a visual echo of the predicament that many South Africans can find themselves in. Though many wait alone, the amount of people waiting becomes a collective, city-wide experience.
Visually I was drawn to those seeking shelter from the harsh summer sun by positioning themselves in the shade. Figures here occupy ephemeral spaces of respite created by the surrounding urban environment. These shadows remove the individuals’ identities, leaving only the subtlety of posture and the details of place. With only the waiting period accompanying each image, the purpose or possible outcomes of these situations is unclear. We are left to meditate on the temporality of these individual situations and the indirect connections that waiting creates across society.
Sabelo Mlangeni
Born in 1980 in Driefontein, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
Isivumelwano: An Agreement, 2003–2014
Work statement: Isivumelwano: An Agreement comprises a series of photographs shot at various Southern African wedding ceremonies. The first time I used a camera was for a wedding in 1997, I did not get a chance to see the photographs because the bride picked them up straight from the lab. This body of work is an attempt to reconstruct these images looking at how an event about the love between two people becomes a community event.
This work started in South African townships, and continued with an exploration of these ceremonies in the capital cities of Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland. The resulting body of work focuses on the beauty and ornate nature of these ceremonies as well as the traditions and attire that embrace the adaptability of cultures in today’s African cities. Wedding ceremonies in black Southern African cultures are significant gatherings, often with more than one day of celebrations. The work looks at the way Southern African cultures have been adapted over the years looking particularly at the amalgamation of African cultural practices and Western white wedding rituals seen predominantly in metropolises.
Thom Pierce
Born in 1978 in St Helier, Jersey. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
www.thompierce.com
The Price of Gold, 2015
Work statement: The high court in Johannesburg will soon decide if a class action lawsuit can be laid against 32 gold mining companies in South Africa. Three law firms are representing a group of miners who are applying for this class action on behalf of all miners suffering from Silicosis or Pulmonary Tuberculosis as a result of working in the gold mines.
Over a period of 20 days in September and October 2015, Thom Pierce traveled around South Africa's Eastern Cape, into Lesotho and up to Johannesburg to find and photograph the 56 sick miners and widows named in the lawsuit. The photographs were then displayed in the building next door to the courtroom in Johannesburg at the time of the case in October 2015. This was done as a piece of advocacy, to put a human face to the often stark and detached courtroom proceedings.
Silicosis is a preventable but incurable lung disease that is contracted in the gold mines through inadequate protection from silica dust. Miners who contract silicosis get tired and out of breath quickly and are prone to lung infections, respiratory failure and TB. Most miners who became sick were sent home with little or no compensation and no hope of finding further employment.
Julia Runge
Born in 1990 in Berlin, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany
www.juliarunge.com
Basterland, 2015
Work statement: One hundred years after the Rehoboth Basters rose up against their German colonizers, the photo series “Basterland“ takes up the task of providing a multifaceted insight into the contemporary life of the ethnic group living in Namibia today. A heterogenous spectrum of images arises in condensed pictures, revealing the tension-laden contradictions inherent to a typical phenomenon of our day and age—the confrontation between the processes of global standardization, and traditional regional structures that have been upheld over generations and defended against such external, antagonistic forces. It is a portrait of a society that seems to find itself in an “in-between“ amid tradition and change.
It emerges out of the deliberately subjective impressions of the photographer: She, too, is permeated by this “in-between“, on the one hand because of her repeated visits to the region to become part of the community; on the other hand because of her European heritage, through which she always represents something other. This tension saturates the images throughout the series; some images were partially staged, others were created spontaneously.
The virtually constitutive meaning of this history, which has been fought for time and time again, is the central theme of this work: The past lights up in the present, but precisely this past was meant to constantly be protected from the present. Last but not least the merit of this photo series lies in reminding us of a forgotten episode of German colonial history.
The name “Baster” (Afrikaans for German bastards) may seem a little pejorative. But the Baster community gave it themself because it reminds them of their heritage and emergence. The Basters are the offspring of the union between European settlers and their indigenous Khoisan slaves during the colonial period in the 18th century. During the South African colonization, the Basters became a more and more unwanted and stigmatized group. Since Namibia’s independence in 1990, the Basters are the only traditional grouping in Namibia with no special legal status and to this day they fight for their acceptance and recognition in society.
Short List POPCAP '16
Short List POPCAP '16
POPCAP '16 Short List
POPCAP will be awarded for the fifth time in 2016. The competition received 900 applications from 94 countries. A panel of 20 international experts from the field of photography were reviewing all entries carefully and we are proud to present these 20 artists in this year's short list:
Aderemi Adegbite
Born in 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria. Lives in Lagos, Nigeria
www.aderemiadegbite.com
Laeila Adjovi
Born in 1982 in Paris, France. Lives in Dakar, Senegal
www.laeila-adjovi.com
Alia Ali
Born in 1985 in Vienna, Austria. Lives in Marakesh, Morroco
www.alia-ali.com
Héla Ammar
Born in 1969 in Tunis, Tunisia. Lives in Carthage, Tunisia
www.helaammar.com
Roger Anis
Born in 1986 in egypt. Lives in Cairo, Egypt
www.rogeranis.photo
Scarlett Coten
Born in 1968 in France. Lives in Vincennes, France
www.scarlettcoten.com
Domenico d'Alessandro
Born in 1985 in San Marco in Lamis. Lives in Foggia, Italy
www.domenicodalessandro.com
Valeria Gradizzi
Born in 1979 in Verona, Italy. Lives in Verona, Italy.
Tytus Grodzicki
Born in 1972 in Poznan, Poland. Lives in Poznan, Poland
www.tytusgrodzickifotografie.com
Wiame Haddad
Born in 1987 in Lille, France. Lives in Lille, France
www.wiamehaddad.com
Nadav Kander
Born in 1961 in Israel. Lives in london, England
www.nadavkander.com
Jason Larkin
Born in 1979 in London, England. Lives in London, England
www.jasonlarkin.co.uk
Augustin Le Gall
Born in 1980 in Les Sables D'olonne, France. Lives in Paris, France
www.augustinlegall.com
Sabelo Mlangeni
Born in 1980 in Driefontein, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
Manyatsa Monyamane
Born in 1989 in Pretoria, South Africa. Lives in Pretoria, South Africa
Henry Nicolas
Born in 1978 in St Denis, France. Lives in les Mesnuls, France
www.nicolashenry.com
Thom Pierce
Born in 1978 in St Helier, England. Lives in Cape Town South Africa
www.thompierce.com
Filippo Romano
Born in 1968 in Messina, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy
www.filipporomano.it
Julia Runge
Born in 1990 in Berlin, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany
www.juliarunge.com
Georges Senga
Born in 1983 in Lubumbashi, Congo (Dem. Rep.). Lives in Lubumbashi, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
About
About
POPCAP, the piclet.org prize for contemporary African Photography is directed at photographers whose work engages with the African continent and/or its diaspora. The prize consists of global exposure at major international photography exhibitions.
POPCAP aims to raise the profile of African photography within the arts. Each year five winners are selected by an internationally-sourced panel of judges, enabling the promotion of African photography worldwide and helping to avoid geographically and culturally one-sided views of the portfolios. Due to its extensive application in a day-to-day context, we consider photography to be the ideal medium through which to foster an unhindered exchange of ideas about the image of Africa.
POPCAP was initiated by Benjamin Füglister in 2012. In its first edition five winners were chosen from 140 submissions by a panel of nine internationally-sourced judges. In 2013 POPCAP received 360 submissions from 57 countries, which were judged by a 14 person panel. The POPCAP ‘14 edition received 720 applications from 88 countries, which were reviewed by a panel of 23 international judges. The roughly 800 submissions to POPCAP '15 were judged by 19 international experts and the five winning portfolios were presented at 7 international art exhibitions.
Further information on our previous editions of POPCAP can be found here.
RECAP POPCAP
RECAP POPCAP
A Photobook Toward a more Contemporary View of Africa
RECAP POPCAP
RECAP POPCAP
A Photobook Toward a more Contemporary View of Africa
RECAP POPCAP – A BOOK TOWARD A MORE CONTEMPORARY VIEW OF AFRICA
RECAP POPCAP - The Anniversary Book
To celebrate POPCAP’s fifth anniversary we will be collating the 25 winning photographic series of the last five years in the book RECAP POPCAP, and personalities from the African photography scene will discuss the present situation in their field. The content of the book will be translated into five languages.
Each copy of RECAP POPCAP will be handcrafted, the exhibition banners of years past incorporated into the covers of the books. This way each book will become a unique specimen that will carry with it the soul of the images and exhibition sites of the past five years.
LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN
We need your help in order to be able to complete these unique, hand-bound pieces! We require not just your financial support, but also your engagement as an ambassador for RECAP POPCAP. Please spread the word!
Let’s work together to promote a contemporary image of Africa.
Take a glimpse of what the content of RECAP POCPAP will look like. The book will not only include the POPCAP winners series' but also feature texts by key persons from the African photography scene that move the continent. A directory of festivals, museums, schools and institutions from the field will round the book up.
Previous Editions
Previous Editions
POPCAP '15
POPCAP was awarded for the fourth time in 2015. The competition received submissions from 700 artists from 58 countries, 45% of which came from African countries – an increase of 7% since the 2014 edition. The five winning portfolios were selected by an internationally-sourced 19 person panel of judges via an online judging platform. POPCAP was shown at seven international photography events such as Les Rencontres de la Photographie Ghar el Melh in Tunisia, Image Afrique in Basel, Switzerland, OBSCURA festival of photography in Malaysia, LagosPhoto Festival in Nigeria, Biennale de la Photographie Bamako, Mali and Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Fès, Morocco.
POPCAP '15 winners are:
Filipe Branquinho
Born in 1977 in Maputo, Mozambique
Lives in Maputo, Mozambique
Zed Nelson
Born in 1965 in Kampala, Uganda
Lives in London, United Kingdom
Tahir Carl Karmali
Born in 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in New York City, USA
Zied Ben Romdhane
Born in 1981 in Tunis, Tunisia
Lives in Tunis Ariena, Tunisia
Romaric Tisserand
Born in 1974 in Toulouse, France
Lives in Paris, France
POPCAP '14 at Image Afrique from piclet.org on Vimeo.
2014 saw piclet.org offering POPCAP for the third time, this time receiving 720 applications from 88 countries. The five winning artists were invited to attend the inauguration of the Image Afrique exhibition, presenting their work in Basel, Switzerland. This exhibition was followed by POPCAP ‘14 shows at MoP6, the Cape Town Month of Photography in South Africa, the LagosPhoto Festvial in Nigeria, Eyes On – Month of Photography, Vienna, Austria, at FIFCV in Mindelo, Cabo Verde and Addis Foto Fest in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
POPCAP ‘14 winners are:
Joana Choumali
Born in 1974 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Lives in Abidjan Cococy, Ivory Coast
Ilan Godfrey
Born in 1980 in Johannesburg, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Léonard Pongo
Born in 1988 in Liège, Belgium
Lives in Brussels, Belgium
Anoek Steketee
Born in 1974 in Hoorn, The Netherlands
Lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Eefje Blankevoort
Born in 1978 in Montreal, Canada
Lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Patrick Willocq
Born in 1969 in Strasbourg, France
Lives in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Click here to go to the POPCAP ‘14 microsite.
POPCAP '13 Exhibition and Stroll at Münsterplatz
Basel from piclet.org on Vimeo.
The 100 winning works selected for POPCAP ’13 were initially presented as large-scale posters at Münsterplatz in Basel, Switzerland between June 6 and 23, 2013. The exhibition was visited daily by roughly 500 people, making a total of more than 10,000 viewers. POPCAP ’13 reached a broad audience via the PhotoIreland exhibitions in three exhibition centres in Dublin, Limerick and Cork. The open air exhibition in October 2013 comprising 43 large-scale prints on Victoria Island, Lagos concluded the POPCAP ’13 exhibition cycle and was very well received by the Lagosian audience.
POPCAP ’13 winners are:
David Rengel
Born in 1978 in Sevilla, Spain
Lives in Madrid, Spain
Álvaro Laiz
Born in 1981 in León, Spain
Lives in Madrid, Spain
Dillon Marsh
Born in 1981 in Cape Town, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Cristina de Middel
Born in 1977 in Alicante, Spain
Lives in Mexico City, Mexico
Alexia Webster
Born in 1979 in Johannesburg, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Graeme Williams
Born in 1961 in Cape Town, South Africa
Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
Click here to go to the POPCAP ’13 microsite.
POPCAP ’12
POCPAP was first awarded in 2012. In the centre of Basel during Art 43 we celebrated the completion of the first edition of POPCAP (the piclet.org Prize for Contemporary African Photography) by screening the five winning portfolios. These screenings reached around 1000 people daily and due to positive feedback we extended the show from five to eight days.
View of the exhibition in June 2012, Basel, Switzerland
The POPCAP ’12 winners are:
Guillaume Bonn
Born in 1970 in Antananarivo, Madagascar
Lives in Paris, France
Nabil Boutros
Born in 1954 in Cairo, Egypt
Lives in Paris, France
Namsa Leuba
Born in 1982 in St-Aubin, Switzerland
Lives in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Adolphus Opara
Born in 1981 in Lagos, Nigeria
Lives in Lagos, Nigeria
Paolo Patrizi
Born in 1965 in Rome, Italy
Lives in Tokyo, Japan
The Prize
The Prize
The prize consists of global exposure at major international photography exhibitions including POPCAP exhibitions at Image Afrique in Basel, Switzerland, at LagosPhoto Festival in Nigeria, at the FIFCV Festival Internacional de Fotografia de Cabo Verde and at Eyes On – European Month of Photography in Vienna. POPCAP always invites all winning artists to the main exhibition Image Afrique, which is held during Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland. All winners are and their respective portfolios are featured in the POPCAP catalog as well as in the piclet.org directory for hand-picked photographers' portfolios.
Each of the five awardees have the chance to participate in an artist residency and will be featured by many of our media partners.
In a nutshell: POPCAP is a prize that raises the winners' international exposure and builds a high level network for future projects.
The Judges
The Judges
PAnel of Judges
The POPCAP panel of judges comprises 23 international experts from the field of photography and is reformed annually. Follow us on Twitter so as to not miss any important announcements.
FLORIAN EBNER
CURATOR
ESSEN, GERMANY
Florian Ebner was born in 1970 in Regensburg, Germany. He successfully completed his diploma at the National School for Photography in Arles, France in 1994 and later studied Art History and Romance Languages at the Ruhr Universityin Bochum, Germany. After having worked for two years as assistant curator for the Tate Modern in London and the Folkwang Museum in Essen, he took up the position of provisional manager of the Berlinischen Galerie'sphotography collection. From 2009 to 2011 he managed the Braunschweig Photographic Museum and since December 2012 has worked as manager of photography for theFolkwang Museum in Essen.
AKINBODE AKINBIYI
PHOTOGRAPHER AND CURATOR
BERLIN, GERMANY
Akinbode Akinbiyi is a photographer, curator and writer living in and working out of Berlin, Germany. Born in Oxford, England, of Nigerian parents, Akinbode was educated in both England and Nigeria and has been a photographer for almost forty years. Akinbode has in recent years concentrated increasingly on personal projects dealing with the rapidly advancing global urbanisation, focusing specifically on cities on the African continent. The dominant thread is the road, its presence in all urban conglomerations, its constant weave and meander in the ever-growing sprawl. Akinbode also passionately engages with younger colleagues through workshops and masterclasses, through portfolio reviews and in writings.
JOHN FLEETWOOD
CURATOR
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
John Fleetwood is the director of Photo: a platform that curates and commissions photography projects, working especially with emerging photographers. He directs Joburg Photo, a concentrated programme of photography in Johannesburg. From 2002-2015 he was the Head of the Market Photo Workshop, a school, gallery and project space. Fleetwood recently co-curated Against Time an exhibition of emerging photographers. He co-commissioned A Return to Elsewhere, a collaborative photography project on communities and dis/connect, between Kalpesh Lathigra (UK) and Thabiso Sekgala (SA) for the Brighton Photo Biennial 2014 and the Joburg Photo Umbrella 2014. He is the curator of Photoquai 2013: Africa and co-curator for Transition – a collaboration between South African and French photographers about South African land and the role that photography continues to play in the representation and re-imagining of this land. He closely works with the Centres of Learning for Photography in Africa and other institutions of learning and mentorship. Fleetwood frequently collaborates with other international organizations. He is based in Johannesburg, South Africa - www.phototool.co.za
Wassim ghozlani
photographer AND director
Tunis, Tunisia
Born in 1986, Wassim Ghozlani is a freelance photographer who lives in Tunis. His themes often incorporate reflections in relation to the world around us and the men who live in it. Wassim currently divides his time between his photographic work and the coordination of the project Maison de l'Image. In 2011, Wassim obtains the Jury Special Mention for the Arte / Cutlog Price. In 2012, he was nominated for the Foam Paul Huf and obtains the AFAC Express grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. In 2014, he joined the Studio Hans Lucas. In 2015 he was nominated for the prestigious Gabriele Basilico Prize in Architecture and Landscape Photography. www.maisonimage.tn
SEOK JAE-HYUN
CURATOR AND EDITOR
DAEGU, KOREA
Seok Jae-hyun was born in Daegu, Korea, where he built part of his career. He completed his graduate studies at Ohio University majoring Visual Communication in the United States. His career can be summarized as a photographer, professor and curator. To start off with his works in Korea, he has organized a major Korean photo festival named Daegu Photo Biennale in 2006 with others. Moreover, he has curated many international exhibitions including Imaging Asia in Documents with 33 photographers from around the world for the very first Daegu Photo Biennale. In addition, he did Women in War, Dream and Reality , ON KOREA, Blooming Silk Road and Eye of Istanbul _ Ara Guler. With his works in China, he received the Best Curator Award from DIPE, in China, 2015. After profiling 30 other established photographers from other countries on VON photography magazine recently, he is now working as an associate editor for Photo Dot magazine in Korea. And at the same time, he is also working as a director of Korea Photography Content Institute which was established in 2014. - www.photoseok.com
RIXON REED
DIRECTOR
SANTA FE, NM, USA
Rixon Reed is the founder and director of photo-eye and Art Photo Index. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he attended NYU film school and later worked for Lee Witkin managing the Witkin Gallery photobook department in New York in the mid-1970s. Reed started photo-eye in Austin, Texas in 1979 as a mailorder book business and issued the first photo-eye Booklist – at the time, one of the very few ways you could buy a curated selection of photobooks via mail. The photo-eye Booklist became a widely read catalogue of the best photobooks published. Today, photo-eye Gallery is located in Santa Fe’s Railyard Arts District showing acclaimed contemporary photographers along with emerging artists. In a separate location, photo-eye Bookstore + Project Space showcases the best in photobooks while exhibiting book-related projects. In 2013, Reed created www.artphotoindex.com to help curators, gallerists, publishers and other photo professionals discover new work by emerging talent. Art Photo Index is a resource and search engine of nearly 37,000 works by over 3700 photographers from 90 countries. - www.photoeye.com
JOSELINA CRUZ
CURATOR
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Joselina Cruz is a curator based in Manila, Philippines. She was co-curator of the 2008 Singapore Biennale and in 2010 curated Creative Index, a multi-site exhibition in Manila, and Roving Eye in 2011 at the Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand (SKMU), Norway. She is a fellow of the Asian Public Intellectual (API) Programme of the Nippon Foundation. She has been nominated for several art prizes in Asia and Europe and continues to write essays, reviews, criticism and art commentary. She currently holds the position of director and curator for MCAD Manila (Museum of Contemporary Art and Design), DLS-CSB, Manila. - mcadmanila.org.ph
BENJAMIN FÜGLISTER
ARTIST AND CULTURAL ENTREPRENEUR
BERLIN, GERMANY
Berlin-based artist Benjamin Füglister was born in 1978 in Zurich, Switzerland. In his work Füglister explores the interchange between photographic media and modern society, questioning social conventions and their visual transformation. He focuses on how photography can be used as an interface to observe and visualize the metamorphosis of the image of man. He was the founding member of Sodbrand, a magazine for words and images. In 2009 he founded piclet.org, a platform for hand-picked photographers’ portfolios. Since 2006 he has worked at the editorial department of European Photography Magazine. Füglister is the founder of and head of the judging panel for POPCAP – the piclet.org Prize for Contemporary African Photography. - www.piclet.org
MICHKET KRIFA
CURATOR
PARIS, FRANCE
Michket Krifa is an independent curator, author and consultant for visual arts in the Middle East and Africa. She lives in Paris and has been the artistic director of the 8th and 9th Les Rencontres de Bamako, Biennale Africaine de la Photographie since 2009. Michket Krifa collaborates with many institutions and has organized Middle Eastern and African photography events in Europe and abroad. She has written many essays and articles on photography and has edited books and catalogues.
JEANNE MERCIER
PHOTO CRITIC
PARIS, FRANCE
Jeanne Mercier is the co-founder and editor of “Afrique in visu”. In 2005 she wrote a thesis titled "The African Photography Encounters" (LHIVIC-EHESS) and is currently working to develop new ways to spread photography within (or do you mean to? or from?) North and West Africa. Today she divides her time between “Afrique in visu” and cultural programming consultancy activities regarding contemporary photographic practices and the theme of photography as a profession in Africa. She currently teaches in Morocco and France, as well as writing for various art and photographic magazines: she regularly works as a correspondent in Africa for “The Eye of Photography” and “Diptyk”. In 2015 she was the commissioner of “Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie de Fès”. She is also a nominator for the Piclet Prize and a member of the jury at Popcap, the Prize for Contemporary African Photography. - www.afriqueinvisu.org
JÜRG SCHNEIDER
HISTORIAN AND CURATOR
BASEL, SWITZERLAND
Jürg Schneider is an historian affiliated with the Centre for African Studies at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His writings on historical and contemporary African photography and photography in Africa have appeared in various journals and books. Schneider has organized and participated in several international conferences and symposia. He is co-curator of Portrait d’un Studio. Photo George, Douala at doual'art, Douala and La vie quotidienne au Cameroun dans les années 1960 et 1970 at the Institut Français, Yaoundé.
He is the co-founder of www.africaphotography.org, African Photography Initiatives and a founding member of the African Photographic Society.
Shahidul alam
PHOTOGRAPHER AND DIRECTOR
dHaka, bangladesh
Recipient of the highest award given to Bangladeshi artists, the Shilpakala Award, photographer, writer, curator and activist Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry at London University before switching to photography. Director of Chobi Mela festival and chairman of Majority World agency, Alam’s work has been exhibited in galleries such as MOMA, Centre Georges Pompidou, Royal Albert Hall, Tate Modern and Museum of Contemporary Arts in Tehran. A guest curator of the Whitechapel Gallery, the Musee de Quai Branly and the Brussels Biennale, Alam’s numerous photographic awards include Mother Jones and Howard Chapnick Awards and the OSI Audience Engagement Grant. He has been a jury member in prestigious international contests, including World Press Photo, which he chaired, and Prix Pictet. Alam is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, and on the advisory board of the National Geographic Society and Eugene Smith Fund. - www.shahidulnews.com
Steven Evans
CURATOR
HoustON, USA
Steven Evans studied photography at the Atlanta College of Art, graduating with a B.F.A. in 1987. He earned his M.F.A. from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 1989. From 1990, he worked at Dia Art Foundation in New York, where he helped artists such as Douglas Gordon and Vera Lutter create large-scale exhibitions. In 2000, he began work on the Dia:Beacon museum project in upstate New York, and he was the museum’smanaging director until 2010. In 2014, he was appointed FotoFest executive director, and in 2015 he organized the FotoFest interbiennial exhibition I Am A Camera in Houston. In the past year, he has represented FotoFest at photography events and festivals in China, France, Russia, and Korea. He has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Dutchess County Arts Council in Poughkeepsie, New York. In addition, Evans is an artist who works in a range of media, including photography, and has shown his work in solo and group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, and elsewhere. - www.fotofest.org
VIGNES BALASINGAM
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Vignes Balasingam is a photographer and curator based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is the director of the OBSCURA Festival of Photography and the Monsoon Artist In-Residence programme. Vignes produced and edited Ian Teh’s third monograph, Confluence. He has also curated the Travel Photographer Asia 2015 exhibition at MAP KL, Kuala Lumpur. He recently curated PERSON(A), a contemporary photography exhibition featuring 20 Malaysian artists in 2015. www.obscurafestival.com
YUMI GOTO
CURATOR
TOKYO, JAPAN
Yumi Goto is an independent photography curator, editor, researcher and consultant who focuses on the development of cultural exchanges that transcend borders. She collaborates with local and international artists who live and work in areas affected by conflict, natural disasters, social problems, human rights abuses and women’s issues. She often works with human rights advocates, international and local NGOs, humanitarian organizations and is a nominator and juror for international photographic organisations, festivals and events. She is now based in Tokyo and is a co-founder and curator of the Reminders Photography Stronghold. - www.reminders-project.org
MISSLA LIBSEKAL
EDITOR
VANCOUVER, CANADA
Missla Libsekal was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is a nomad, writer and design consultant. In 2010 she founded the online platform Another Africa, a new venue to chart mythologies about contemporary art and culture from an African perspective. "Art is powerful, it simply needs unleashing and ultimately it will influence, inspire and help to reclaim Africa. The arts are not a first-world luxury, Another Africa is intended to be a constant reminder of this." - www.anotherafrica.net
Clara de tanzos
PHOTOGRAPHER AND curator
guatemala city, guatemala
Clara is Co-founder and Director of La Fototeca, Contemporary Photography Center, and GuatePhoto Festival. She has participated in curatorial projects with La Fototeca in Photo Ville (NY), Pingyao International Photo (China), GuatePhoto 2010, 2012, 2015 and all the exhibitions taking place at Fototropía gallery space. She has also participated in Photo Lucida, Critical Mass, Fotovisura Grant, Tokyo Photo Festival and Trastlántica PhotoEspaña, as reviewer or juror, also in Prix Pictet and First Book Award as nominator. www.guatephoto.org | www.lafototeca.org
DANA WHABIRA
CURATOR
HARARE, ZIMBABWE
Dana Whabira is a trained architect and studied art and design at Central Saint Martin’s College in London. In May 2013, she founded Njelele Art Station, an urban laboratory located in downtown Harare that focuses on contemporary, experimental and public art practice. Njelele is a meeting place for critical dialogue where ideas are birthed then resonate out into the city through projects that provoke discussion and engage with the general public. In 2014, she was curator of the Gwanza Month of Photography festival under the theme Moonwalking that exhibited works by forty-two photographers from Africa in over twenty unconventional public spaces across the city centre of Harare. - www.njelele.com
SAMUEL SIDIBE
DIRECTOR
BAMAKO, MALI
Samuel Sidibé is the Director of the National Museum of Mali. In 1975, he received a Master's degree in Art History and Archaeology from the University of Clermont-Ferrand, and in 1980, he received a Ph.D. in History of African Societies from the Sorbonne. In 2006, Sidibé was awarded the Prince Claus Prize. He is an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. - www.rencontres-bamako.com
Advisory Board
Advisory Board
THE ADVISORY BOARD
The POPCAP advisory board consists of both international art experts and Africa experts who are supporting our team:
Touria El Glaoui, director, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London, United Kingdom
Thomas Licek, president, European Month of Photography, Vienna, Austria
Marcel Tanner, former director, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
Christoph Tannert, artistic director, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
Artur Walther, art collector, The Walther Collection, New York, USA
Rules
Rules
JUDGING CRITERIA
Submitted works will be judged according to the following criteria:
TECHNICAL CRITERIA:
- exposure focus/sharpness
- colour and/or tonal rendition
- lighting
VISUAL AND AESTHETIC CRITERIA:
- framing and choice of viewpoint
- design elements and principles
- appropriate application of photographic and/or manipulative techniques
- visual impact
CONTENT:
- information
- emotion/mood/feeling
- relevance
- subject impact
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- originality
- style
- context
- photographic vision
- empathy
- insight
- validity
SUBMISSION CRITERIA
- Photographs must have been taken in an African country or deal with a diaspora of an African country.
- The emphasis of the competition is on image sequences. Images must work together as a whole. We are NOT looking for single images or fashion/advertising/studio work.
- Eligible are submissions comprising between 10 and 25 images.
- Submitted images should be a minimum of 2500 pixels in width/height at 72 dpi and be no more than 5 megabytes in size.
- Should your work be chosen for exhibition, we will ask you to supply high-resolution files that are suitable for print.
- Collaborative projects are permitted. Entrants must be sure to note this in the description accompanying their submission.
- NOTE ON COPYRIGHT: The images remain the property of the author and POPCAP requires a license to use the images in relation to the competition and promotion of the competition only. Photographers will be consulted, should we wish to use their work in any other context.
- POPCAP is open to photographers of any age and descent.
- There is no entry fee.
RULES OF ENTRY
- You agree to fully indemnify POPCAP regarding all royalties, fees and any other monies owing to any person by reason of your breaching the following requirements, even after your entry is submitted to the website.
- In entering the competition you agree that POPCAP is permitted to receive your registration data. All personal information will be used by POPCAP in accordance with Swiss law and piclet.org's Privacy Policy.
- The entrant must confirm that they are the sole copyright holder of the material or have been authorised by another copyright holder to submit the material to this competition.
- Copyright of the photos is retained by the photographer. POPCAP recognises that the entrant – the author of the photograph – retains full and complete ownership of the copyright in each submission.
- Entrants must accept that any image submitted to the competition may be used by POPCAP to enable the delivery of the prize through POPCAP and for future publicity and marketing purposes for up to five years. The entrant hereby grants POPCAP a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to use each submission throughout the world for five years in all media and for any use related to the promotion of the competition, but not limited to: (a) judging the competition, (b) public exhibitions promoting the competition and piclet.org, (c) inclusion within any material promoting either the competition, piclet.org or any exhibition organized by piclet.org; in the promotion of POPCAP, but not limited to: the website, books, magazines or other publications, (d) inclusion in POPCAP-related products (i.e. a prizewinners catalogue) to be sold by POPCAP or any third party following an individual agreement by the author (you), (e) sub-licensing the entries to the press for reproduction in connection with the prize and any exhibition, (f) allowing viewers of the website to view images on a computer screen or mobile device, and to store such pages in electronic form on disk or mobile device for their personal, non-commercial use only.
- Entrants may submit color and/or black and white photographs taken up to three years before the start of the competition (after November 2012).
- Entrants may enter with one particular project once only.
- All entries must be submitted via the website no later than 11.59pm EST (Zurich time) on Sunday February 7 2016. Any photos submitted after this time will not be considered for entry.
- You may NOT submit watermarked images with your name or website visible on the photo. Please DO NOT frame your images with borders.
- Winners will be informed by email and announced on the website (date TBC).
- Submissions must be of a reasonably large file size and of high quality (at least 2500px at 72dpi, with a maximum size of five megabytes per file). Entrants' photos must be in JPEG format.
- All entrants must be able to supply a high-resolution (400dpi) and high-definition image suitable for printing in media and for an exhibition, should the work be chosen for the final selection.
- We DO NOT sell your images.
- You agree to participate in related publicity and to the use of your name and likeness for the purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity without receiving additional compensation.
- All correspondence will be made through the email address and telephone number provided at the time of registration.
- POPCAP employees, advisors and judges may not enter the competition.
- The core of your image-making process should involve the use of photographic equipment and/or processes. Digital, darkroom or any other form of manipulation IS accepted.
- The judges' decisions are final and once they have been made, no further negotiations with entrants will be entered into. POPCAP assumes no responsibility for any incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the competition. POPCAP assumes no responsibility for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, for lost network connections, corrupt transmissions, other problems or technical malfunctions with regard to the competition. POPCAP assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, corruption, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to or alteration of submitted works. POPCAP is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, computer equipment, software, failure of any emails addressed to POPCAP on account of technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the internet or any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to your or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in the competition. POPCAP assumes no responsibility if for any reason a contestant’s entry cannot be viewed or is not capable of running as planned, due to either infection by computer viruses, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud or technical failures.
- In no event will POPCAP, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and related companies, event partners, its advertising or promotion agencies, or its officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives or agents be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or punitive damages arising from contestants' access to and use of the website. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, everything on the website is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for purpose or use or non-infringement. POPCAP reserves the right to disqualify any participant on reasonable grounds at its discretion.
Download the Rules of entry here.
Previous Winners
Previous Winners
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Since 2012 POPCAP has been awarded to 20 projects represented by 22 individuals. Five outstanding projects are selected annually by a panel of internationally renowned experts within the field of photography.
POPCAP '15
Filipe Branquinho
Born in 1977 in Maputo, Mozambique
Lives in Maputo, Mozambique
Zed Nelson
Born in 1965 in Kampala, Uganda
Lives in London, United Kingdom
Tahir Carl Karmali
Born in 1987 in Nairobi, Kenya
Lives in New York City, USA
Zied Ben Romdhane
Born in 1981 in Tunis, Tunisia
Lives in Tunis Ariena, Tunisia
Romaric Tisserand
Born in 1974 in Toulouse, France
Lives in Paris, France
POPCAP ‘14
Joana Choumali
Born in 1974 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Lives in Abidjan Cococy, Ivory Coast
Ilan Godfrey
Born in 1980 in Johannesburg, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Léonard Pongo
Born in 1988 in Liège, Belgium
Lives in Brussels, Belgium
Anoek Steketee
Born in 1974 in Hoorn, The Netherlands
Lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Eefje Blankevoort
Born in 1978 in Montreal, Canada
Lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Patrick Willocq
Born in 1969 in Strasbourg, France
Lives in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Click here to go to the POPCAP ‘14 microsite.
POPCAP ’13
David Rengel
Born in 1978 in Sevilla, Spain
Lives in Madrid, Spain
Álvaro Laiz
Born in 1981 in León, Spain
Lives in Madrid, Spain
Dillon Marsh
Born in 1981 in Cape Town, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Cristina de Middel
Born in 1977 in Alicante, Spain
Lives in Mexico City, Mexico
Alexia Webster
Born in 1979 in Johannesburg, South Africa
Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
Graeme Williams
Born in 1961 in Cape Town, South Africa
Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
Click here to go to the POPCAP ’13 microsite.
POPCAP ’12
Guillaume Bonn
Born in 1970 in Antananarivo, Madagascar
Lives in Paris, France
Nabil Boutros
Born in 1954 in Cairo, Egypt
Lives in Paris, France
Namsa Leuba
Born in 1982 in St-Aubin, Switzerland
Lives in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Adolphus Opara
Born in 1981 in Lagos, Nigeria
Lives in Lagos, Nigeria
Paolo Patrizi
Born in 1965 in Rome, Italy
Lives in Tokyo, Japan
édition POPCAP
édition POPCAP
Édition POPCAP is a limited photography edition comprising works from the winners of POPCAP, the piclet.org prize for contemporary African photography. The outstanding works of the participating artists are printed in a circulation of 7 + 2 AP and are available for purchase both at the POPCAP exhibitions and the online store.
Édition POPCAP consists of works from Guillaume Bonn (FR), Filipe Branquinho (MOZ), Ilan Godfrey (ZA), Tahir Carl Karmali (KEN), Dillon Marsh (ZA), Paolo Patrizi (IT), Léonard Pongo (BE), Zied Ben Romdhane (TUN), Romaric Tisserand (FR) and Graeme Williams (ZA). Future POPCAP awardees will be invited to join the edition.
THE BIRTH OF ÉDITION POPCAP
POPCAP, the piclet.org prize for contemporary African photography, was established in 2012 by Benjamin Füglister and is awarded annually to photographers whose work is either created within Africa or deals with a diaspora of an African country. Participation in the competition is free and open to all, regardless of age or ethnicity.
The prize comprises a series of international exhibitions in Africa, Europe and South America, as well as a studio residency for all five winners in either Europe or Africa. POPCAP is executed in collaboration with Verein Liaison represented by Angela Nyffeler.
Édition POPCAP and was created in response to overwhelming interest from POPCAP exhibition-goers. The works are exclusively printed by Artificial Image in Berlin. The 1/7 of over seventy images are sold for CHF 490.– . This price will increase by a factor of 1.2 with every following edition. 70% of proceeds will go to the artists, and the other 30% will be used to promote African photography within the context of POPCAP.
Further information is to be found on the Édition POPCAP website.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Partners
Partners
PArtners
POPCAP is a grassroots organisation. We collaborate with a variety of partners in order to execute the POPCAP prize, exhibitions, workshops, talks and publications. We are happy to have received such good feedback regarding the previous editions since 2012, which has enabled us to continue to foster relationships with both our old and new partners listed below. If you are interested in joining our team of partners please contact us at partners@popcap.cc.
Sponsors
Media Partners
Exhibition Partners
