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Kevin Faingnaert Wins 2017 Zeiss Photography Award
14 March 2017
The World Photography Organization and Zeiss has announced Belgian photographer Kevin Faingnaert as the winner of the Zeiss Photography Award "Seeing Beyond." Faingnaert is recognized for Føroyar, a photographic series about life on remote and sparsely populated villages on the Faroe Islands.
Kevin Faingnaert. 'House in Gásadalur' from the series 'Føroyar.'
In its second year, the theme of the Zeiss Photography Award was "Meaningful Places," challenging professional photographers to look past the ordinary and everyday for work that captured extraordinary aspects of the world we live in. The award is a collaboration between the World Photography Organization and Zeiss and is designed push the creative talents of photographers worldwide.
The winning work was selected from more than 31,000 images, submitted by 4,677 photographers from 132 countries to the award.
As the Zeiss Photography Award winner, Kevin Faingnaert receives €12,000 worth of Zeiss lenses and €3,000 in travel expenses to complete a photography project.
FAINGNAERT
Kevin Faingnaert, who lives and works in Gent, Belgium, is a social documentary photographer with a degree in sociology. His work, which has been published internationally, focuses on small groups and communities removed from mainstream culture.
Talking about Føroyar, Faingnaert said:
In February 2016 I immersed myself within the Faroese community. I couch surfed and hitch hiked my way across the islands, finding doors opening to me everywhere I went.
There, across swathes of snow-veiled landscapes and bordered by dramatic coastline, villages are slowly dropping into decline as more and more of their inhabitants are emigrating from the islands in pursuit of greater opportunities.
In these clear and pristine landscapes, where villages with populations as low as ten huddle together on the edge of cliffs, I tried to reveal a community hanging on firmly to their roots and traditions, while underlining that one day these villages must inevitably disappear.
SHORTLIST
The judges also recognized the work of nine further photographers:
- Anna Filipova, Bulgaria/UK
- Mario Adario, Italy
- Christopher Roche, UK
- Sonja Hamad, Germany
- Ben Bond Obiri Asamoah, Ghana
- Frederik Buyckx, Belgium
- Nicholas White, UK
- Fabian Muir, Australia
- Nicky Newman, South Africa
Fabian Muir. 'The Hands That Rock the Cradle' from the series 'Shades of Leisure in North Korea.'
The work of both the winning and shortlisted photographers will be shown in London as part of the Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr -- 2017 Exhibition at Somerset House from April 20 to May 7.
For more information see the news release below.
Kevin Faingnaert Wins 2017 Zeiss Photography Award
Winner and shortlisted photographers selected from over 31,000 images from 132 countries
Prize is €12,000 worth of Zeiss lenses and €3,000 to complete a photography project
The World Photography Organization and Zeiss today announce Belgian photographer Kevin Faingnaert as the winner of the Zeiss Photography Award "Seeing Beyond." Faingnaert is recognized for "Føroyar," a stunning photography series about life on remote and sparsely populated villages on the Faroe Islands.
Now in its second year, the theme of Zeiss Photography Award was 'Meaningful Places' which challenged professional photographers to look past the ordinary and everyday and submit a body of work that captured extraordinary aspects of the world we live in. The award is a collaboration between the World Photography Organization and Zeiss and is designed push the creative talents of photographers worldwide.
The winning work was selected from more than 31,000 images, submitted by 4,677 photographers from 132 countries to the award.
As the Zeiss Photography Award winner, Kevin Faingnaert receives €12,000 worth of Zeiss lenses and €3,000 in travel expenses to complete a photography project.
Kevin Faingnaert
Kevin Faingnaert lives and works in Gent, Belgium and is a social documentary photographer with a degree in Sociology. His work mainly focuses on small groups and communities that are removed from mainstream culture and his images have been published internationally.
Talking about his winning series "Føroyar," Faingnaert comments: "In February 2016 I immersed myself within the Faroese community, I couch-surfed and hitch-hiked my way across the islands, finding doors opening to me everywhere I went. There, across swathes of snow-veiled landscapes and bordered by dramatic coastline, villages are slowly dropping into decline as more and more of their inhabitants are emigrating from the islands in pursuit of greater opportunities. In these clear and pristine landscapes, where villages with populations as low as ten huddle together on the edge of cliffs, I tried to reveal a community hanging on firmly to their roots and traditions, while underlining that one day these villages must inevitably disappear."
Judge Claire Richardson, Picture Editor, Lonely Planet Traveller, notes: "There is a wonderful completeness to Kevin's series; epic landscapes mix with tenderly composed portraits, tied together by a soft muted palette, which immediately draws you in. Everyday events in these remote communities are captured by the lens, from a parishioner sitting quietly in a local church to a village football game. But look closely at this unforgiving and wild environment and you realise that these are ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances, hanging on at the edge of the world."
Shortlisted photographers and exhibition
The judges also recognized the work of nine further photographers:
- Anna Filipova, Bulgaria/UK
- Mario Adario, Italy
- Christopher Roche, UK
- Sonja Hamad, Germany
- Ben Bond Obiri Asamoah, Ghana
- Frederik Buyckx, Belgium
- Nicholas White, UK
- Fabian Muir, Australia
- Nicky Newman, South Africa
The work of both the winning and shortlisted photographers will be shown in London as part of the Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr -- 2017 Exhibition at Somerset House from April 20 to May 7.