Names to Know From the Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize Shortlist
An angry plume of smoke captured in black-and-white, shiny, surreal portraiture, and a whirl of hazy, atmospheric landscapes... the six photographers including Elena Kalinichenko, Zélie Hallosserie, Ka’Vozia Glynn, Praise Hassan, Toma Hurduc, and Trâm Nguyễn Quang, who are shortlisted to win the inaugural Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize) are not messing around. Founded by philanthropist Lisa Saltzman and photographer Annie Leibovitz, the prize fund supports emerging photographers and totals $20,000.
‘My parents deeply admired and supported the work of Annie Leibovitz. This prize allows me to honour their legacy and continue their collaboration in a meaningful way,’ said Saltzman. ‘Art was a significant part of their lives, and I know they would be deeply moved by this initiative. It is so meaningful for me to collaborate with Annie, a true legend.’
Although all of the six photographers were selected from Leibovitz’s mentorship program as IKEA’s Artist in Residence, each offers radically different — but equally beautiful — perspectives. Take Ukrainian-born, Kyiv-based Kalinichenko, whose wistfully lit series I’m Not Fine tells the story of how Ukrainians have coped with the trauma and hardship of war. Or, the work of Hallosserie, who captures migrants as they dare to cross the English Channel from Calais in an act that, contrary to whatever right-wing slander you've read in the 'red tops', signifies bravery (as well as desperation) as opposed to reported selfishness and greed.
Winners will be selected from the shortlist by Drew Sawyer, photography curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Isolde Brielmaier, curator and scholar; Kira Pollack, freelance photo editor; Mary Grace Reeder, Hauser and Wirth’s associate director, and Raul Martinez, Vogue and Condé Nast’s creative director. $10,000 will be awarded to the first place winner, $5,000 for second place, $2,000 to third place, $1,500 to fourth, $1,000 to fifth, and $500 to sixth place.