ING Talent Award 2019

The ING Talent Award is an international, purpose-driven initiative that gives new photography talent from Europe a united platform to present their work on a global scale.

Kevin Osepa and Karolina Wojtas © Olivier van Breugel

Theme

In 2019, the theme was Nature of Change, which gave the finalists the opportunity to reflect on the evolution of society, nature and the environment in unique and interesting ways.

Karolina Wojtas © Olivier van Breugel

Jury Prize Winner

Responding to the theme of Nature of Change, Karolina Wojtas won the ING Talent Award Jury Prize for her work We Can’t Live – Without Each Other. Wojtas received €10,000 to invest in a future project. The jury of experts selected Wojtas because they felt this work demonstrated a sense of fearlessness. Her pictures provided an honest and lively interpretation of childhood rivalry. The photos captured the dark, unsettling side of this rivalry as well as the funny, spontaneous moments.

Kevin Osepa © Olivier van Breugel

Public Prize Winner

Kevin Osepa won the Public Prize as decided by online voting on ing.com and received a commission to produce new work for the ING Collection. Kevin Osepa’s Riku photo series explores the significance of the barbershop in the lives of black men and its relationship with homophobia. Over the period of a few weeks, Osepa worked in his local barbershop to try to capture intimate moments between barber and customer: when all this hyper-masculinity disappears briefly – almost like a solar eclipse.

Adam Broomberg © Olivier van Breugel

Coach

Throughout the ING Talent Award programme, our five finalists were coached by the internationally renowned photographer Adam Broomberg. Adam Broomberg is one half of the artist duo Broomberg & Chanain and a professor of photography.

Jury ING Talent Award 2019 © Olivier van Breugel

Jury

The Jury Prize winner was selected by five experts:

  • Mels Crouwel (architect and founding partner Benthem Crouwel Architects)
  • Emma Lewis (curator of international art, Tate Modern)
  • Kathy Ryan (director of photography, The New York Times Magazine)
  • Joana Choumali (visual artist)
  • Sanne ten Brink (head curator, ING Collection)

Scouts

The 2021 shortlist made by ING Art Management and Unseen, is based on a longlist selected by Futures. The contemporary photography platform that pools resources and talent programs from leading photo institutions in Europe.