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Gauri Gill Wins 10th Prix Pictet
28 September 2023
Indian photographer Gauri Gill has won the tenth cycle of the Prix Pictet, the global award for photography and sustainability, with an award of 100,000 Swiss Francs. Gill was selected from a shortlist of 12 photographers by an independent jury.
Gill's work emphasizes her belief in working with and through community, in what she calls "active listening." For more than two decades, she has been closely engaged with marginalized communities in the desert of western Rajasthan, Northern India and for the last decade with Indigenous artists in Maharashtra.
Her winning series Notes from the Desert started in April 1999 when she began photographing village schools in Rajasthan.
"On my many visits to rural Rajasthan," Gill said, "I have witnessed a complex reality I knew nothing about as a city dweller. To live poor and landless in the desert amounts to an inescapable reliance on oneself, on each other and on nature. These fragments of shared experience now inhabit a large photographic archive called Notes from the Desert, encompassing different narratives and varied forms of image taking."
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD, BOOK
Prix Pictet also introduced the People's Choice Award in which the public can have their say on their favorite shortlisted photographer from now until the Victoria and Albert exhibition's close on Oct. 22. The winner of the People's Choice Award will be announced at the close of the exhibition and will receive a prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs. Voting is cast online via Prix Pictet's Web site.
To accompany the exhibition, Hatje Cantz have published a book, Human, with highlights from across all entrants. The publication also features essays by the historian David Christian and writer Meehan Crist plus a special interview with photographer Sebastião Salgado led by Michael Benson, the director of the Prix Pictet.
For more information see the news release below.
Gauri Gill Wins 10th Prix Pictet, World's Leading Photography and Sustainability Award
- Gauri Gill received the prize and 100,000 Swiss Francs (90,000 GBP) at an award ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 28 September
- The winning series is Notes from the Desert (1999 -- ongoing)
- 12 photographers from 11 countries were shortlisted for the award responding to the theme Human
- Prix Pictet also introduced the People's Choice Award in which the public can have their say on their favourite shortlisted photographer from now until the exhibition's close on 22 October
- To accompany the exhibition, Hatje Cantz have published a book, Human, with highlights from across all entrants
Indian photographer Gauri Gill was announced as the winner of the tenth cycle of the Prix Pictet, the global award for photography and sustainability, receiving the prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs. Gill was selected from a shortlist of 12 photographers by an independent jury.
Gill's work emphasizes her belief in working with and through community, in what she calls 'active listening'. For more than two decades, she has been closely engaged with marginalized communities in the desert of western Rajasthan, Northern India and for the last decade with Indigenous artists in Maharashtra.
Her winning series Notes from the Desert began in April 1999 when she set out to photograph village schools in Rajasthan. Having grown up mainly in cities, she soon realized that rural schools were a microcosm of a complex reality she knew nothing about. Visiting the same people and places over decades, she witnessed the whole spectrum of life: drought years and great monsoon; dust storms leading to widespread fevers and floods leading to the rebuilding of homes; epidemics; overwhelmed hospitals and understaffed school; festivals, feuds, celebrations and prayers.
About her series, the artist said:
"On my many visits to rural Rajasthan, I have witnessed a complex reality I knew nothing about as a city dweller. To live poor and landless in the desert amounts to an inescapable reliance on oneself, on each other and on nature. These fragments of shared experience now inhabit a large photographic archive called Notes from the Desert, encompassing different narratives and varied forms of image taking."
Executive Director of Prix Pictet, Isabelle von Ribbentrop, said:
"In a world facing unprecedented challenges, from social inequality to environmental crises, it was crucial to turn the lens toward humanity itself. The theme Human provides a platform to explore the complexities, vulnerabilities and strengths of the human condition. It allows the artists to capture and communicate the stories, struggles and triumphs of individuals and communities around the globe. Through this theme, Prix Pictet aims to foster a deeper understanding of our shared humanity and inspire meaningful conversations about the issues that impact us all. Especially when thinking about the theme Human, I strongly believe that instead of the future of photography, we should think about photography of the future. The power of the image lies in its ability to foreground critical and urgent environmental issues in a visually impactful yet direct way."
To accompany the exhibition, Hatje Cantz have published Human, a book featuring the shortlisted photographers together with a selection of outstanding images from a wider group of those nominated for the award. The publication also features essays by the historian David Christian and writer Meehan Crist and a special interview with photographer Sebastião Salgado, the great champion of humanitarian photography, led by Michael Benson, the Director of the Prix Pictet.
Mew Award, Book
During the award ceremony, Prix Pictet also announced the launch of a new initiative, the Prix Pictet People's Choice Award. The Award allows the public to vote for their favorite shortlisted series and seeks to create dialogue around the vital issues the prize explores. The winner of the People's Choice Award will be announced at the close of the exhibition and will receive a prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs (9,000 GBP). Voting is cast online via Prix Pictet's Web site.
Following its time at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition will embark on a global tour during which it will be shown at leading museums in Zürich, Nassau, Istanbul, Dublin, Bangkok, Munich, San Diego, Singapore and Stockholm.
About Gauri Gill
Born Chandigarh, India, 1970 Lives and works in New Delhi Series: Notes from the Desert
Gill studied at Delhi College of Art, Parsons School of Design, New York and Stanford University, Calif.
Her work has been shown internationally, including at Whitechapel Gallery, London (2010), The Wiener Holocaust Library, London (2014), San Jose Museum of Art, California (2015) and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kerala, India (2016). In 2017, Gill's work was exhibited at Documenta 14, Athens and Kassel, the 7th Moscow Biennale and Centre Pompidou, Paris. It has been shown at Museum Tinguely, Basel (2018), MoMA PS1, New York (2018), the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), Chobi Mela, Dhaka (2019) and BAMPFA, Berkeley, California (2020). Gill's first major survey exhibition opened at Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, in 2022, moving to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebak, Denmark, in January.
She also exhibits at locations outside the art world, including public libraries, rural schools and non-profit institutions.
Her work is held by institutions including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Tate Modern, London, Smithsonian Institution, Washington and Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland.
Her awards include the Grange Prize, awarded by the Art Gallery of Ontario (2011) and an India Today Art Award (2018).
She has been a Creative Arts Fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Italy (2013) and was the inaugural Roberta Denning Visiting Artist at Stanford University (2022).
Gill has recently published two books with Edition Patrick Frey about her collaborations with rural artists, Acts of Appearance (2022) and Fields of Sight (2023).
