Last Updated on 03/06/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
The British Journal of Photography reveals an interesting shortlist for this year’s International Photography Award.
The British Journal of Photography showcases a unique selection of shortlisted images for the 14th year of the prestigious International Photography Award. The five shortlisted photographers hail from all over the world, including India, Thailand, Denmark, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The shortlisted images were judged by a panel of key industry leaders, and show the keen focus of the British Journal of Photography on fine art, documentary, and contemporary photography.
Independent photographers Sara Galbiati, Peter Eriksen, and Tobias Markussen comprise the Denmark photographers behind the shortlisted series, The Merge. Their work is poised as an “in-depth investigation of artificial intelligence and robotics that aims to explore and visually interpret the possibility that we are living inside a simulation.” Formed as a collective in 2015, the artists came together to document issues founded on theories and first-person accounts, rather than fact.
Polish-born and London-based photographer Paulina Otylie Surys made it to the shortlist for her Dreamatorium series. Her collages “delve into the phantoms of her early childhood, growing up during the Polish People’s Republic.” Setting family portraits and Communist motifs against images of red meat, the series reflects a unique visual story that “combines nostalgia with fear.”
Poulomi Basu was shortlisted for Centralia, “a complex portrayal of protracted fight for land and resources in Central India over the course of 50 years.” Contemporary documentary practices reflect the atmosphere of the region through images that show “foreboding landscapes and festivities, alongside images of locals uncovering crime scenes, and found material selected from different sources.”
In his shortlisted series titled Mt. Meru, Harit Srikhao of Thailand reflects on the political crisis that gripped Thailand from 2007 to 2014, prompting an awakening that called into question long-accepted social norms. Drawing inspiration from idolatry and Hindu cosmology, the series makes use of images “to distort remembrance, control dreams and motivate an ultimate desire.”
London-based Alys Tomlinson completes this year’s shortlist with her Ex-Voto series, which was sparked by an interest in markers and offerings left behind at pilgrimage sites in France, Ireland, and Poland. The series encompasses formal portraits, large format landscape photography, and detailed still lives to explore the “tangible narrative between faith, person, and landscape.”
The winning entry will be announced on March 27th. The winning photographer will receive a £5,000 exhibition grant and a show at leading London gallery TJ Boulting, set for July 13th, 2018. All the shortlisted photographers will also be flown to London and invited to a Photo London networking event. They will also have extensive online and print coverage through the channels of the British Journal of Photography.
Check out the official website of the International Photography Award by the British Journal of Photography to learn more about the competition.