The Deutsche Börse has probably more to offer than one may think. Their Photography Foundation is one of them. The prizes for 2025 are currently exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery, another must-visit place when in London. The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is an organization dedicated to contemporary photography. It supports photographers, exhibitions while also managing the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field. Its mission is to promote photography as an artistic medium, featuring artists who explore themes like identity, history, and global change. This time around, four very diverse artists have been recognized. Christina de Middel was already featured at Les rencontres de la Photographie of Arles last year. Her powerful photography along the Central American migration route across Mexico left a deep impression on me. The narrative using simple cards challenges us as the story of the people shown is much more complex that these images may suggest. “La Rosa’, this little girl wearing a large Orange Trump t-shirt in front of the wall separating Texas from Mexico is a good example of that narrative. Rahim Fortune travelled through the Southern States of the USA to meet the communities living there. Hardtack, an unleavened bread made with flour, water and salt, symbolizes the spirit of survival of those poor communities in the left-behind parts of the USA. Tarrah Krajnak, in a totally different genre presents “a catalogue of attitudes for estranged daughters” by restaging works from previous masters with her own body, an interesting series of photographs. Finally, Lindokhule Sobekwa brings us along a deeply personal project, together with his sister who disappeared to his homeland of South Africa. A moving journey through his own history.
