Prix Pictet Human

Photo Museum Ireland is delighted to host Prix Pictet Human, the latest exhibition from the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. Founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group, the goal of the award is harnessing the power of photography to draw attention to the critical issue of global sustainability. To date, there have been ten cycles of the award, each with its own theme highlighting a particular aspect of sustainability. This will be the ninth year that Prix Pictet has toured to Photo Museum Ireland.

The current cycle, Prix Pictet Human, showcases the work of twelve outstanding photographers shortlisted for the award. Their work constitutes a powerful exploration of the various facets of the theme Human. In their own unique way, each of the shortlisted photographers explores our shared humanity and the vast spectrum of our interactions with the world. The shortlisted portfolios span documentary, portraiture, landscape, and studies of light and process, and explore issues ranging from the plight of Indigenous peoples, conflict, childhood, the collapse of economic processes, to the traces of human habitation and industrial development, gang violence, border lands, and migration. Their work evaluates our role as stewards of the planet and sheds light on the critical issues of global sustainability, the central concern of the Prix Pictet since its inception fifteen years ago.

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“The Prix Pictet exhibition showcases the very best in contemporary fine art photography while drawing public attention to pressing environmental concerns,” said Trish Lambe, Artistic Director at Photo Museum Ireland. “As an organisation dedicated to promoting the art of photography, we are thrilled to host an exhibition of this calibre. The Prix Pictet is a true testament to the power of photography as a medium for social and environmental change. We are proud to be part of this important campaign that continues to raise awareness, invite conversation and inspire action.”

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“We are delighted to present the outstanding work of the cycle’s twelve shortlisted artists in Dublin,” said Isabelle Von Ribbentrop, Executive Director at Prix Pictet. “For over a decade, our mission at Prix Pictet has been to showcase the best of global photography, focusing on the urgent topic of sustainability. The opportunity to tour and share this work with the public in Ireland is a privilege for us, and we hope this exhibition will be a powerful reminder of the urgency of the climate crisis.”

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At a ceremony at the Victoria & Albert Museum (the first stop of the international tour), in September 2023 Indian photographer Gauri Gill was announced as the winner of the Prix Pictet Human, receiving the prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs. Gill was selected from the shortlist of twelve photographers by the prize’s independent jury. Gill’s work emphasises her belief in working with and through community, in what she calls ‘active listening’. For more than two decades, she has been closely engaged with communities in the desert of western Rajasthan, Northern India and for the last decade with Indigenous artists in Maharashtra.

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At the close of the exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Colombian photographer Federico Ríos Escobar was announced as the winner of the inaugural Prix Pictet People’s Choice Award, receiving the prize of 10,000 Swiss francs. Ríos Escobar’s poignant work captures the heart-wrenching realities of South American children whose parents have embarked on the perilous migrant journey through the treacherous Darién Gap, a near-impassable stretch of jungle on the Colombia- Panama border. The People’s Choice Award was introduced to allow the public to vote for their favorite shortlisted series and to create further dialogue around the vital issues the Prix Pictet explores.

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