INTRODUCTION
The jury, as in previous years, visited accredited art academies that have a separate photography specialization. These include: the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague; Academy of Art and Design St. Joost; AKI in Enschede; Gerrit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam; Utrecht School of the Arts; Willem de Kooning in Rotterdam. This year, seventy-seven students graduated, whereas there were ninety last year.
WINNER 2012
Ola Lanko
NOMINEES 2012
Iztok Klančar (KABK)
Ola Lanko (Rietveld)
Bram van Oosten (HKU)
Dominique Princen (Rietveld)
Philip Schuette (KABK)
JURY 2012
Sterre Sprengers
Colette Olof
Koen Hauser
Download the Jury Report.
ABSTRACT FROM THE JURY REPORT
IZTOK KLANCAR (KABK)
My Men
The project "My Men" is a photographic essay about the two men who have been decisive in his life. In his audio-visual presentation, he has woven together images and sounds in such a way that it becomes a powerful and intense experience to watch. His visual language alternates between romantic, literal, suggestive, and shocking. In his book, he has treated the same material in a different way, demonstrating his ability to harness the power of editing. His work deserves its place, both in the documentary realm and on the applied side of photography, making it highly effective. We are very curious to see what Iztok Klancar will show us in the future.
OLA LANKO (RIETVELD)
Required Reading
In her project "Required Reading," she has undertaken scientifically and artistically refreshing research into how humans interpret images. She explores what we need in an image to interpret it, the extent to which this is culturally determined, and how much our eyes actually deceive us. In small steps, she ingeniously and simply elucidates different aspects of her thought processes. Both in her book and in the presented work on the wall, she presents an intriguing and idiosyncratic investigation that is both visually and conceptually captivating.
BRAM VAN OOSTEN (HKU)
Bram van Oosten has explored the medium of photography at a very different level than the other nominees. He demonstrates his fascination with the craftsmanship aspect of the medium, the possibility of creating an image in the most physical way possible. It is an old-fashioned approach to the medium that seems to have been somewhat lost today. He treats his experiments as archaeological findings, which has resulted in a beautiful presentation of his work. Everything radiates a love for the mystical and physical aspects that the medium of photography can also encompass.
DOMINIQUE PRINCEN (ST. JOOST)
Dominique Princen has translated her search in her fascination and frustration with photography without having to create it herself into a very personal and simultaneously scientific exploration of the experience of the medium. She proves herself to be a good writer in short essays that reflect on the functionality and use of photography in art and everyday life. By making everything freely accessible via her website, she hopes to initiate a discussion about her findings, and we are curious to see how she will further develop this in the future.
PHILIP SCHUETTE (KABK)
Lookism
In his project "Lookism," Philip Schuette has provided two interesting interpretations of our interaction with images today. With his invention, the Image Typewriter, he not only raises the question of how to deal with our daily overdose of images but also provides an answer: an email program that converts words into images generated by an internet search engine. He connects innovative conclusions to the issue of exponential growth in visual communication in our society, as seen in his other interpretation of a newspaper full of images without text. Stripped of any interpretation, the image takes on a life of its own due to the many interpretations we can give to photographs. Philip takes a step further by linking often-made observations with meaningful and innovative conclusions.