Dayanita Singh becomes first South Asian recipient of Hasselblad photography prize

Dayanita Singh has been awarded the 2022 Hasselblad Award, receiving 2 million Swedish krona from the Hasselblad Foundation. She is the inaugural recipient of this esteemed photography honor from South Asia. Previous laureates include notable figures such as Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, and Wolfgang Tillmans. Singh's work is characterized by a unique blend of humanist portraiture and archival exploration, often showcased in books and installations. The jury for 2022 featured Joshua Chuang, Koyo Kouoh, Susan Meiselas, Daniel Palmer, and Niyatee Shinde. In a 2019 ArtReview interview, Singh discussed how she crafted the role of a photographer to gain personal liberation from societal norms. Her debut photobook in 1986 focused on tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain's life and performances. The foundation commended Singh for her innovative methods of interacting with images through her vast body of work.