The Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) in Balboa Park, San Diego, USA, selected Mikhael Subotzky as the winner of the 2009 Lou Stoumen Prize. One of the most prestigious and highly acclaimed awards in photography, the Stoumen Prize includes one of the largest...
The Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) in Balboa Park, San Diego, USA, selected Mikhael Subotzky as the winner of the 2009 Lou Stoumen Prize. One of the most prestigious and highly acclaimed awards in photography, the Stoumen Prize includes one of the largest cash rewards available to photographers. Subotzky, known for his intimate and in-depth study of the South African prison system, will be featured along with all past winners in Lou Stoumen: The Legacy on view at MoPA, 7 February to 10 May 2009.
In 1991, photographer/filmmaker Lou Stoumen established an endowed gift with the MoPA to be given to a mid-career photographer whose work related in spirit to his own humanistic style of photography. The prize was designated by Stoumen to be large enough to make a substantial difference in an artist's life and work.
A panel of photography experts from around the world nominates artists for the award and the final selection was made by the chairman, Arthur Ollman, a previous Director of MoPA.
The 2009 recipient, Subotzky, received widespread acclaim for his 2004 project ‘The Four Corners’, an in-depth study of the South African prison system. "A viewer is able to begin to understand the conditions endured by these people, the lack of privacy, and the constant crush of this harsh and overpopulated environment," says Ollman. A native of Cape Town and a Magnum photographer, Subotzky has extended his work on crime and incarceration to include photographic workshops with prisoners and a new series on ex-prisoners entitled ‘The Outside’. "There he identifies that not all is misery in this neighborhood. His subjects endure the brutality of their lives but still retain dignity and a sense of presence that communicates right through the lens and paper going directly into our bloodstream." He was the winner of numerous international awards, and is in the collections of major museums around the world.
Images: The Four Corners. © Mikhael Subotzky / www.imagesby.com
Contact details
e. subotzky.studio@gmail.com
w. www.imagesby.com
Gallery representation: www.goodman-gallery.com (South Africa) and www.studiolacitta.it (Italy)
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