Prix Pictet Sixth Cycle: Disorder

Interesting exhibition at Somerset House shortlisted entries for this global award in photography and sustainability with the theme this year of disorder.

There were some beautiful images. Oddly enough two photographers played with the idea of the classic still life. Valerie Belin drew on vanitas and momento mori paintings but using modern decorative but functionless mass produced articles. Ori Gersht played with floral still lives doing photos of flower arrangements being blown up. I saw a work by him at the Science Museum and they are very striking as bits of roses appear to fly towards you.

Many of the works were very hard hitting and moving such as Alixandra Fazzina’s picture of Somali refugees wading out to a boat to take them to Yemen the title of which records that only 11 of them arrived alive.

My favourite was a stunning picture of a man neck deep in water by Gideon Mendel which is part of a project called Drowning World in which he travels to flooded area to record the effects. This picture appears as if his head is floating with a wonderful reflection in the water. A picture to stop you in your tracks.

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