Announcing the winners of the first V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography
Congratulations to the five exceptional winners of the first international V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography.
The prize attracted nearly 1400 submissions from artists all over the world who responded with their interpretation of the theme ‘Agents of Change’.
All five winners will have their work displayed at Peckham 24 – south London’s vibrant three-day contemporary photography festival – opening Friday 12 May 2023. Each artist will also receive career enhancing opportunities, including a networking dinner with industry experts, and a financial bursary of £2000.
They will also enjoy a spotlight on the V&A blog and the V&A Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project’s Instagram account.
The winners were chosen from a shortlist of ten by the prize selection committee, co-chaired by Fiona Rogers, the inaugural Parasol Foundation Curator of Women in Photography at the V&A, and Vivienne Gamble, co-founder of Peckham 24 and Director of Seen Fifteen gallery, London.
The winners
Anya Tsaruk is a Ukrainian photographer currently based in Berlin. Her artistic approach initially focussed on documentary and street photography, but evolved in the past year to expose the realities of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its consequences. Her ongoing series ‘Mother Land’ is an autobiographical example of how families have been affected, and continue to live with the trauma of conflict.
Vân-Nhi Nguyễn is a Vietnamese photographer and designer based in Hà Nội, Việt Nam. Her work is concerned with the reconstruction of collective memory – be it that of her own identity or of the larger community – and its relationship to contemporary society. Her ongoing project, ‘As You Grow Older’, takes the familiar shape of a family photo album and features portraits in which each individual is presented in their own space.
Gohar Dashti is an Iranian-American photographer and video artist who currently resides and works in Boston. Her art is deeply influenced by her native country, Iran, and often explores its topography, socio-geography, and the history of war and violence that have affected it.
Priyadarshini Ravichandran is an Indian photographer whose work is connected with lived experience, including stories of women, their lives and the land. ‘Surge’ is a poetic and personal exploration revealing the complexity of familial relationships.
Cynthia MaiWa Sitei is a Kenyan British visual artist and curator whose work is heavily influenced by the culture of storytelling. She integrates photography, text and the archive to explore themes such as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Responding to the colonial archive of British social anthropologist Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, ‘spear of a nation’ embarks on its own expedition to critically reflect on acculturation and assimilation, and the legacy of colonialism.