“CIVILIZATION”
ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
“We live in strange times. We also live in strange places: each in a universe of our own”. – Douglas Adams
We’re delighted to present the results of our Civilization theme, judged by Tate Modern’s Curator of International Art and Photography Emma Lewis.
We live in strange times. Or do we? Plato after all made the same observation some two millennia ago. But with rapid urbanization, growing social inequality, widespread immigration, climate change, extraordinary technological advancements, all-pervasive social media, the fight for racial justice and of course the COVID-19 pandemic, it does feel like we live in an era of unprecedented – and in some aspects indeed strange – change.
This is what we asked you to explore for this theme – the social, cultural and environmental trends shaping our world – and the topics highlighted above plus many more are described in this set of 20 inspiring and challenging images. Marrying fascinating subjects and ideas with superb technique, some staged and others candid, they highlight 20 talented emerging photographers to watch, and collectively go some way to describe for posterity the civilization in which we live.
Congratulations to the selected photographers, and thank you to everyone else who submitted. You can join the discussion on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
FIRST PRIZE – GAJAN THARMABALAN
www.bokehblink.com / @gajanbalans
“This is a striking image of immense hardship and, as the photographer says, of resilience. On a human level it is incredibly poignant; formally, the colour palette, rooftop angles and the tension between the still, sleeping body and birds circling overhead combine to powerful effect.” – Emma Lewis
SECOND PRIZE – OLIVER ALBERGO
“The father figure in the Yankees baseball cap, the kids waiting for him to get the TV to work: this is in many ways a universal scene. Together, the domestic narrative in the foreground, which represents everyday life, and the spectacular mountains in the background, which suggest much grander themes, speak to the concept of civilization very well.” – Emma Lewis
FABRIZIO SPUCCHES
www.spucches.com / @spucches_studio
“A witty, creative response to the pandemic that’s impacted the lives of almost all of us, Fabrizio says a lot with a little – the sunburn, popping blue background, model’s frustrated expression and the immediately recognizable outline of what’s missing describes a summer unlike any other. Brilliantly done!” – Life Framer
EDDY VERLOES
“Reflecting on a world that has changed immeasurably in the last few months, Eddy presents a gorgeous, stark image from his series Losing our Minds. Silhouetted against an endless white nothingness of sand, sea and sky, these Jewish boys look outward, asking questions of what awaits them, what world they’ll inherent. It’s an image that provokes a complex response with a beautiful visual clarity.” – Life Framer
MARTINA ALICE TOLOTTI
www.martinaalicetolotti.com / @_materica
“We witness here an unexpected scene – wild animals out of the wild, grazing outside an industrial complex in South Africa. Without a human in sight, it brings to mind ideas of the pressure we put on the land with our relentless momentum of industrialization, and of the legacy we leave on the natural world we share with so much other life. These are themes Martina eloquently explores in her series statement, but the image stands up on its own – surprising, intriguing and oddly beautiful.” – Life Framer
EVELINE SCHNEIDER
“There’s something poetic about this simple landscape composition, captured in austere black and white so as not to over-complicate the games of light, shadow and shape. Contrasting organic and artificial forms, the natural and the man-made, it questions our human impact on the environment as we extract minerals from the ground and move material over vast distances. What we create and what remains when we’re gone. It’s a mesmerizing image that holds one’s gaze and, subtly and satisfyingly, takes the form of an eye looking right back at us.” – Life Framer
LAUREN HARE
www.laurenhare.net / @laurenhare
“Beneath the vibrant colors, Lauren’s image has an introspective and sombre tone – her subject downcast and absorbed in her thoughts, oblivious to the world around her, with the framing through glass adding to this sense of detachment. Mindlessly chewing on a donut, from a stack taller than she can consume, it hints at ideas of youthful world-weariness – of the anxiety that comes with instant gratification, access to everything and the perfect lives presented on social media. The title Secrets only adds to the subject’s enigma.” – Life Framer
KAT AMBROSE
www.katambrosephotography.com / @katambrosephotography
“Cleverly framed like a diptych, Kat’s high-vantage point view of a wedding dinner is not only a visual feast, but a fascinating document of ritual and tradition. Beautifully done.” – Life Framer
GARRET SUHRIE
www.garretsuhrie.com / @garretgetsaround
“Titled Shadows on the Wind, Tehachapi, California, this is a creative image that takes a moment to decipher – the slow shutter speed creates shadows of the wind turbine towers on their rotating blades, almost like the three-dimensionality of the landscape has been compressed and folded in on itself. It gives the scene a strange and surreal beauty, making these monolithic structures even more alien and remarkable, and encouraging us to reflect on them as symbols of hope for some, and blights on the landscape for others.” – Life Framer
NATASHA PSZENICKI
www.tashphotography.com / @tashphotography
“Channeling the zeitgeist, Natasha’s conceptual portrait of celebrated BBC broadcaster Ayo Akinwolere examines racism in the media and society more broadly. What it lacks in subtlety it delivers in clarity – prompting ideas of constraint and silencing, of a constant challenge to be heard and to express – questioning just how civilized and equitable the systems we’ve created really are.” – Life Framer
JEREMY PEREZ-CRUZ
www.sleepingplanes.com / @sleepingplanes
“A wonderfully composed scene that captures the edges of protest – not those marching with placards and slogans, but those who watch on from afar. Framed in a warm orange glow of the indoors, away from the cold hues of the street, these onlookers may appear distant from the events that unfold below them, but they’re undoubtedly connected – absorbing the cultural temperature, perhaps showing support in different ways, perhaps questioning their own views. By pointing his camera beyond the action and toward the spectator, Jeremy reminds us of the very real and human difference such acts of protest can make. It’s a hopeful message for these tumultuous times.” – Life Framer
ROMAIN FARGE
www.ledoigtdansloeil.fr / @ledoigtdansloeilfr</a
“Taken in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, Romain’s simply framed image symbolizes both the universality of sport, and the extent to which we as humans have civilized the natural world. A pristine block of artificial green in a rugged, unforgiving landscape, it encourages us to ponder who inhabits such a remarkable place. A fantastic response to the brief.” – Life Framer
NICOLAS BERNIER
www.openlens.ie / @openlens.ie
“Nicolas creates an urban dystopia of unrelenting concrete linearity; grey, muted and lifeless. Through excellent alignment of the passing tram against the soaring tower blocks, its citizens appear caged in depths the sunlight can’t reach. It has a crushing, suffocating order which amplifies the negative aspects of modern urban life in a creative and provocative way.” – Life Framer
MAJA BARSKA
“Taken on the road in Tanzania, Maja employs an unexpected composition to a satisfying, playful result, capturing what defines our civilization the world over – religion and industry.” – Life Framer
MIKE MURPHY
“In a bizarre juxtaposition of industrial plant and graveyard, the headstones and flowers paling in comparison to the looming factory towers beyond, Mike wryly comments on the value of individuals in a modern, mechanized world – you die and life races on regardless in an inexorable march for progress. He calls it ‘The Decline of Western Civilization’ – the loss of dignity in death. The colorful flowers dotting the scene however, remind us of the humanity that pervades. These people may be gone, but they’re not forgotten.” – Life Framer
DENIS VEJAS
www.behance.net/denis_vejas / @denisvejas
“Taken in Tijuana, at the extremity of the wall between Mexico and the US, Denis’ image explores concepts of civilization as we know it today – borders, immigration and otherness. With the land soaked in artificial light, the sea fading into a black abyss, and lines of barbed wire adorned with torn fabric, it signifies something cold and inhumane – that the ‘Mural of Humanity’ can’t hope to soften.” – Life Framer
ALEXANDER ROBERTSON
www.alexmrobertson.com / @alexander__robertson
“Documenting the lives of people who call the warehouses of East London their homes – a trend that is dying as gentrification prices them out – Alexander presents an environmental portrait of one such woman. Offering a view behind the curtain we see raw floorboards, dirty laundry and household clutter alongside the fairy lights, stage lighting and expensive lingerie. It describes something real – the grit and the glamour side by side. Making money from webcam shows, appearing self-assured and independent but not affluent, she provokes us to consider our views on the sex industry and the ethical questions it raises.” – Life Framer
LINDA VAROMA
www.lindavaroma.com / @lindavaroma
“Taken from her series The Singing Neighbour in which she explores the tradition of singing and song stages in Estonia, Linda presents a clean composition of a striking podium structure. It still dominates the flat surrounding landscape but is on the decline, already etched with layers of graffiti and in the early stages of being reclaimed by the ground – eroding and collapsing as clumps of moss take hold. It describes an awe in what once was, and a sadness in the inevitability that social rituals and traditions, even memories, will eventually be lost.” – Life Framer
TOMÁŠ PREDAJŇA
“Through meticulous attention to composition and light, and by avoiding any detail that might indicate scale, Tomáš presents a landscape that feels both intricate and abstract – an endless stark beauty to be found in the ripples and folds of rugged, scarred land. What is documented is the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland, and efforts by the locals who benefit from the tourism it brings to slow the retreat by shrouding it in UV-resistant fleece blankets. Despite this intervention it continues to melt through climate change – the blankets only decelerating what is inevitable. Therein is a bitter irony – that the beauty that attracts visitors must be obscured to ensure they keep coming. It’s a fascinating example of an endeavour both admirable and futile, and symbolic perhaps of our inability as a civilization to adequately confront the problems we create. Actions too little too late.” – Life Framer
IAN BAGUSKAS
www.ianbaguskasphoto.com / @ianbaguskas
“Picked out in bright colors, this family searches for pleasure in a barren, polluted landscape, dominated by the billowing towers of a power plant across the shore. Hand to chin, it’s as if the mother is asking herself where the clear blue water went, and the viewer is provoked to do the same. What went wrong? It’s an image that describes our fundamental need to connect with nature (as well as each other), and the troubling reality that we continue to supress and destroy it.” – Life Framer
