German photographer Michael Schmidt has won this year’s Prix Pictet prize, a photography prize aiming to highlight work by leading photographers which exposures the most pressing social and environmental challenges of today. The artist was awarded by Honorary President Kofi Annan at V&A, this week.
Untitled (From Lebensmittel, 2006-10) 56,1 x 81,6 cm, Gelatin Silver Bromide Print
Courtesy of Michael Schmidt
Schmidt is announced the notable winner for his series Lebensmittel, translated as food-stuff, which deals with issues of unsustainable consumption combining social documentary and urban topographics The artist completed his monumental work after seven years of travelling, exploring and photographing factory farms, industrial abattoirs, and supermarkets investigating the processes at all the stages and residue of the food system in Europe, and confronting the reality of food production from vacuum packed mince to glistening food heads.
Untitled (From Lebensmittel, 2006-10) 56,1 x 81,6 cm, Gelatin Silver Bromide Print
Courtesy of Michael Schmidt
Linking “farm to table” images from pigs, apples, and egg boxes, to harvest-gathers the artist signifies the big amounts of wasted food contrasted to the developing countries’ poverty and the exploitation of the world’s poorest people. As Schmidt notes, “… That is to say, two pictures are combined to form an argument and a third picture results from it. This can perpetuate itself indefinitely, with the effect that when you are looking at a lot of images, at some point another one forms in your mind distinct from the one you are objectively observing.”
Untitled (From Lebensmittel, 2006-10) 56,1 x 81,6 cm, Gelatin Silver Bromide Print
Courtesy of Michael Schmidt
The prize-winning artist competed among a strong shortlist comprised by Adam Bartos , Motoyuki Daifu , Rineke Dijkstra, Hong Hao, Mishka Henner , Juan Fernando Herrán , Boris Mikhailov , Abraham Oghobase, Allan Sekula and Laurie Simmons.
Untitled (From Lebensmittel, 2006-10) 56,1 x 81,6 cm, C-Print
Courtesy of Michael Schmidt
It was announced that Michael Schmidt died on Saturday from an illness that prevented him attending the Prix Pictet award ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum last week.
by Xenia Founta
A show of images by all the finalists is at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London until June, 14.