Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2021 awarded to Cao Fei

The Chinese artist Cao Fei has been awarded the prestigious £30,000 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation prize 2021 at the Photographer’s Gallery in London. The judges called her work, which was made before the pandemic, “gripping and prescient”.

The four finalists of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2021 were Poulomi Basu, Alejandro Cartagena, Cao Fei and Zineb Sedira. This year's shortlist presented four unique artists whose courageous and far-reaching projects cover geographical areas from Algeria to China and deal with topics of both local and global importance.

An article in The Guardian describes how relevant Cao Fei's work is in the present climate: An artist who explores the modern obsession with technology has won one of the most prestigious prizes in photography, with judges saying her work is a perfect fit for a world adjusting to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The exhibition of the nominated projects curated by Anna Dannemann is on display in the Photographers' Gallery, London until September 26th, and until September 19th 2021 it is part of the international photography triennial RAY Photography Projects Frankfurt / RheinMain at the Deutsche Börse headquarters in To see Eschborn / Frankfurt.

Image: Asia One, the artist’s film set in a factory where workers interact with automated machines, has been described as ‘sci-fi romcom that speaks to China’s past and the global future’. Photograph: Cao Fei