Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009

Paul Graham, Emily Jacir, Tod Papageorge, and Taryn Simon, the finalists of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009, impressively document the spectrum of human life in their diverse works. The color photographs by Paul Graham show the inconspicuous traces of everyday life in the US, and fit together to form a comprehensive, quietly reflective social study. In her multimedia installation on Palestinian intellectual Wael Zuaiter, Emily Jacir deals with themes like historic amnesia, resistance, and the logic of archives. In contrast, Tod Papageorge’s contemplative scenes of leisure and relaxation in his long-term study of people in Central Park, New York, seem like a glimpse of paradise. Taryn Simon breaks through this carefree atmosphere by showing what takes place beneath the surface of American society in images that are simultaneously shocking and aesthetically powerful.