Alexander Gronsky (Estonia, 1980) has been chosen as the winner of the Foam Paul Huf Award 2010 by an international jury today. The annual prize, is given to a young international talent in photography under 35 years of age.
Alexander Gronsky, “Less Than One, Komsomolsk on Amur”, Russia, 2007
The jury was impressed by the quality and diversity of the submitted portfolios from around the world. Out of 81 nominees, 31 are from Europe, 14 from Asia, 13 from the United States, 15 from South America, 3 from Africa, 3 from Australia and New Zealand and 2 from the Middle East.
The diversity of approaches used by the nominees, and notably the use of new technologies, raised a heated debate among the members of the jury in order to attend a new signification of what photography is and could be in the years to come.
The chairman of the jury noted on the winner: “Gronsky, a ‘new docugraphic’ photographer is renewing the tradition of documentary photography. His photographs use a narrative of intimate distantiation that open a whole new world through an apparently classic technique.”
The award consists of a cash prize of € 20.000,-, an artist-in-residency in Amsterdam and an exhibition in Foam from 27 August to 10 October 2010.
The members of the jury were:
• Simon Njami (*France) chairman of the jury, independent curator, art critic, publicist and lecturer at the University of California San Diego
• Tony Chamber (*UK) editor in chief Wallpaper Magazine
• François Hebel (*France) director of the International Photography Festival Les Rencontres d’Arles
• Chen Jiaojiao (*China) editor in chief, Outlook Magazine
• Lesley Martin (*USA) head of publications, Aperture Foundation, New York
Foam has a special relationship with Dutch photographer Paul Huf (1924-2001). Huf was known for his innovative manner of photography. One of the last large projects in which Paul Huf was personally involved was the founding of Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam in 2001.
www.foam.nl
