POPCAP'16

PREFACE

In 2016, we will celebrate our fifth anniversary. POPCAP, the picket.org prize for contemporary African photography, is aimed at artists whose work is either produced in an African country or deals with an African diaspora. 

Since 2012 POPCAP has been awarded to five photographers annually, their works exhibited worldwide at important photographic festivals. POPCAP’s objective is to promote African photography within the art world and to obtain more exposure for artists who are engaged with the African continent. Many of the roughly 3000 works submitted since 2012 were longterm projects that had been produced over a number of months or years. We are convinced that a deep examination of the chosen themes is reflected in the artist’s images. The works leave a lasting impression on the viewer and also help to impart a more nuanced image of Africa, allowing us to conceived of the complexity of the continent.

Benjamin Füglister

AFRICAN TALES FROM TODAY

African Tales from Today is a photographic series that I took in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar and Namibia. Some of the images of African communities were taken in the suburbs of Paris. The style of the images is inspired by the traveling theatres of centuries past. The elaborately staged fairytale pictures were created in close collaboration with the people depicted. The development process is very similar to that of a cheater production, as the photos are made in the presence of the protagonist’s family and friends. In this context the viewers parallel a theatre audience, and their feedback has some influence on the production of the images. This gives rise to a dialogue in which the audience members state not only their own viewpoint, but also share it with they own community. 

Nicolas Henry