About the prize

Why «A New Gaze»?

Contemporary photography can supplement our reality with new perspectives, make us question it, and break through it. With «A New Gaze», we aim to promote and convey alternative views of the world around us. The award is part of our corporate responsibility and can make a valuable contribution to the career of its winners thanks to close assistance from the team of curators.

Diversity is important to us, which is why «A New Gaze» moves from continent to continent. This helps us to expand our Eurocentric perspective and familiarize ourselves with diverse cultural viewpoints.

For this reason, Vontobel has been building up a collection of contemporary photography since 2014.  

Find out more about Art at Vontobel

Process

Experts in contemporary photography and art from countries in the selected continent or region nominate participants. By involving these curators, museum directors, and art critics, we aim to achieve vast geographic and content-related diversity. Nevertheless, full coverage of all regions in a continent is sadly impossible. We endeavor to counter this situation through a transparent process.

The nominated photographers are invited to submit a proposal for a project of their choice. In each case, a topic that has engaged Vontobel in the business year in question provides a framework. Following on from «Security/Insecurity» in 2017 and «Identity» in 2019, the next topic is «Responsibility».

Jury

The jury consists of members of the Art Vontobel Commission, including Georgina Casparis (Curator Art Vontobel) and Urs Stahel (Advisor to Art Vontobel). In each case, the jury is supplemented by two international experts with in-depth knowledge of the art scene in the selected continent or region.

We choose the winning project based on project proposal, CV, and portfolio. This should consist of independent work that goes beyond the purely narrative and representational aspect of photography. We look for talented individuals who are at the start of their career, who have a new and surprising view of our present, and who reveal an enhanced connection with the medium of photography.

Photo: Anne Morgenstern

The award winner receives 20,000 Swiss francs to realize their project. We also finance the implementation of the exhibition, including an accompanying publication. The artists are closely supported by the curator Urs Stahel.

Past prize winners of A New Gaze:

A New Gaze 4: Joint winners Emidio Battipaglia (*1984, Italy) and Augustin Lignier (*1995, France)
A New Gaze 3: Dongkyun Vak (born 1992, South Korea) with Heatwave
A New Gaze 2: Kelvin Haizel (born 1987, Ghana) with Babysitting a Shark in a Cold Room – Comoros Encounters
A New Gaze 1: Eva O’Leary (born 1989, USA) with Concealer