The highly anticipated Deutsche Börse Photography Prize is set to return to The Photographers’ Gallery, London, showcasing groundbreaking work from four internationally recognised artists. The exhibition spotlights the talents of Cristina De Middel, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Rahim Fortune and Tarrah Krajnak, who have significantly contributed to contemporary photography in the past year.
Established in 1996, the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize is one of the most esteemed accolades in the photography world. It acknowledges artists whose projects, whether exhibitions or books, have made a profound impact on the lens-based media landscape. Over its 28-year history, it has elevated the careers of numerous photographers whilst engaging audiences with thought-provoking themes. Household names such Alec Soth, Anastasia Samoylova, Cao Fei, Elad Lassry and Trevor Paglen have all come through the Prize. This year’s shortlisted projects reflect a wide range of photographic approaches, including documentary photography, staged imagery, self-portraiture and archival work. Themes of identity, migration, cultural heritage, personal history and collective memory are central.
Spanish photographer Cristina De Middel reimagines the Central American migration route across Mexico as a heroic journey rather than a desperate escape. Inspired by Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, De Middel combines documentary and conceptual photography to challenge conventional narratives about migration. Her work leads viewers from Mexico’s southern border to Felicity, California, a town that humorously claims the title of the “Center of the World.”
In his book Hardtack, American photographer Rahim Fortune offers an intimate portrait of Black American traditions in the south. Drawing on his personal history, Fortune captures the deep-rooted cultural heritage of Texas through striking portraits of bull-riders, dancers and pageant queens. The book’s title refers to an enduring Civil War-era bread, symbolising the resilience of Black culture in America.
South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s project, I Carry Her Photo with Me, is a deeply personal exploration of memory and loss. The book originated from a single torn photograph of his sister, Ziyanda, who disappeared for a decade before returning in poor health. Through a blend of documentary images, handwritten notes and family snapshots, Sobekwa pieces together his sister’s life while addressing broader issues of disappearance and trauma in South Africa.
Peruvian-American artist Tarrah Krajnak merges self-portraiture and performance to interrogate photography’s art historical canon. In her nominated exhibition, Shadowings. A Catalogue of Attitudes for Estranged Daughters, she restages iconic photographic works, inserting her own body to reclaim narratives that historically excluded women of colour. Her deeply conceptual approach reclaims agency over the pose, the camera and the art world’s visual lexicon.
The winner of the £30,000 Prize will be announced on 15 May 2025, with each of the remaining finalists receiving £5,000. This year’s shortlist exemplifies the diversity and power of contemporary photography, with all four artists addressing urgent social, political and historical themes.
The exhibition takes place at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, opening on 7 March and continuing until 15 June 2025. For more information, visit tpg.org.uk.
Words: Shirley Stevenson
Image Credits:
1. Windmill House, Hutto, Texas, 2022. © Rahim Fortune
2. “Una Piedra en el Camino” from the series Journey to the Center, 2021. © Cristina De Middel / Magnum Photos
3. Praise Dancers, Edna, Texas, 2022. © Rahim Fortune
4. South Africa. Johannesburg. Brackendowns. 2018. My mother at work. © Lindokuhle Sobekwa
5. Rock of Two Mothers/Rock That Bruises (from Automatic Rocks/Excavation), 2022. © Tarrah Krajnak
6. Sister Rock/Rock that Tries to Forget (from Automatic Rocks/Excavation), 2020. © Tarrah Krajnak
