Prix Pictet: Human

Prix Pictet Human showcases the work of twelve outstanding photographers shortlisted for Human, the tenth cycle of the award. Their work constitutes a powerful exploration of the various facets of the theme.

In their own unique way, each of the shortlisted photographers explores our shared humanity and the vast spectrum of interactions with the world. Their work evaluates our role as stewards of the planet and highlights the critical issue of global sustainability — the central concern of the Prix Pictet since its inception in 2008.

In his introduction to the publication that accompanies the exhibition, the chair of the independent jury, Sir David King, says, 'For nine consecutive cycles, the Prix Pictet has shone a spotlight on some of the most urgent sustainability issues of our time. From the perils of unhindered growth and overconsumption to the catastrophic warming of the planet and rising sea levels ... this work alerts us all to the threats we face and the rapidly diminishing array of options for a positive outcome. This is exactly why the brilliant visual storytellers involved in each cycle of the Prix Pictet are so important. The twelve artists shortlisted for Human are no exception.'

Global exhibition CYCLE

UK: V&A South Kensington, London, September 29 – October 22 2023

Bahamas: Tern Gallery and Central Bank of Bahamas, Nassau, November 10 – December 15 2023

Japan: TOP Museum, Tokyo, December 15 2023 – January 17 2024
Singapore: School of the Arts, January 8–29 2024
Switzerland: Luma Westbau, Zurich, February 2 – March 10 2024
China: KWM ArtCenter, Beijing, May 31 – July 25 2024
Turkey: Arter, Istanbul: April 26 - July 27 2024
Sweden: Fotografiska Stockholm: April 19 – August 18 2024
Switzerland: Red Cross Museum, Geneva, October 18 2023 – August 25 2024
Germany: Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, November 6–24 2024
USA: Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, September 27 – December 15 2024
Luxembourg: Cercle Cité: October 19 2024 – January 19 2025
Italy: Gran Guardia, Verona: February 8 – March 2 2025
China: Fotografiska Shanghai, 17 January – 9 March 2025
Ireland: Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin, March 1 – April 20 2025

Artist's statement

In the regions around the Arctic, change is happening more quickly than anywhere else on Earth. Where the World Is Melting is about documenting the lives of the people living there.

Sea ice and glaciers are melting fast, and small hunting villages are being abandoned as Inuit hunting grounds are no longer sustainable. A thousand-year-old tradition of hunter-societies is on the decline. Documenting their life for the whole world to see is vital, it is a life unfamiliar to most people. Future generations living in the Arctic will be facing a different reality.

This series comes from more than four decades of work and experience. When I was a young boy, I read the stories of the great Arctic explorers and their adventures in the most remote places of our planet. It was an eyeopener for me, realising that those voyagers were fighting for their lives in unforgiving storms and extreme cold. They were travelling on dogsleds, living in tents, and houses made of snow. Their Arctic journeys took years, and not all those brave adventurers came back. Their passion was to explore something unknown and bring back knowledge to the rest of the world. Most of the explorers had support from local people, who lived on the edge of the world and knew how to survive in the cold. Those stories stuck in my mind. Time has passed, and things have changed: the sea ice is no longer thick and safe as it was back then.

After accompanying Arctic hunters for almost forty years, witnessing the changes in Greenland's sea ice, and sensing friends' and hunters' worries about their future, one cannot look away. There is no doubt in their minds that something is happening. When passing a house in Thule some thirty years ago, an old hunter said, "There is something wrong. It should not be like this. The big ice is sick." I started to look at things in a different way back then, I had the feeling early on when travelling to the Arctic that it had to be documented and photographed for the world to see and to be preserved as history.

The glaciers in Iceland are melting and retreating, the Siberian tundra is thawing, and wildfires are raging. There are signs everywhere. It has been warmer before on the planet, and it has been colder. It is known in history that the glaciers have been smaller before, and they have also been bigger. But Earth is now in the phase of warming up, and scientists are giving us warnings. There is no reason to ignore them. Where there is life, there is hope, and people living in the Arctic must have that hope just as much as the rest of the world. There are also opportunities. There are solutions. We must never forget that.