A New Gaze 2 – 2019: Kelvin Haizel wins Vontobel Contemporary Photography Prize
Identity and Africa: a theme, and a continent, where much is in motion. For A New Gaze 2 – 2019, the Vontobel Arts Commission invited 80 photographers who live and work in Africa to address issues of identity from their perspective. Now it has been decided that the Prize for Young Contemporary Photography will go to Kelvin Haizel (born in 1987) from Ghana.
Artist Kelvin Haizel on his project "Desperately Seeking Forevers II". © Video: Haizel 2018.
Kelvin Haizel's project takes us to the archipelago of the Comoros off the east coast of Africa. Here, the artist observes how identity is formed, shifted and lived. This is because right in the midst of this group of African islands lies the French overseas département of Mayotte, i.e. an actual part of Europe.
During his stay in the region, Haizel will make encounters with the people the starting point of his work. For him, these meetings are the key to identity, because such encounters always reveal differences – and thus shape our relationship with others and ultimately with ourselves.
In his video message from the Comoros, Haizel now presents his project to a broader public for the first time.
The exhibition will take place in spring 2019 at Gotthardstrasse 43.
Learn more about the project and the work of the Vontobel Arts Commission.
anewgaze.vontobel.com
We would be happy to keep you up to date on the project’s progress.
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About Kelvin Haizel
Kelvin Haizel (born in 1987) lives and works in Ghana. In his work, he traces the state of the image in today's society, using video and photography, installations and objects. His work has been shown internationally in exhibitions from Nigeria and Mozambique to France and Portugal.
"A New Gaze" promotes the photographic work of young emerging artists. With this award, the Vontobel Arts Commission, together with curator Urs Stahel, honors works that open up new perspectives and reflect the role of photography in today's world. Vontobel enables the winner of "A New Gaze" to realize his or her work from conception to exhibition, summarized in an accompanying catalog.
