Deana Lawson Awarded 2022 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize for Basel Exhibition

Deana Lawson received the 2022 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, earning GBP£30,000 for her significant contributions to photography. Her solo exhibition 'Entropy' at Kunsthalle Basel, which ran from 9 June to 11 October 2020, formed the basis for this recognition. Juror Brett Rogers, director of The Photographers' Gallery and jury chair, praised Lawson's ability to blend traditional and experimental approaches while reimagining Black experience through connections between the mundane and mystical. The selection panel included Yto Barrada, Jessica Dimson, Yasufumi Nakamori, and Anne-Marie Beckmann alongside Rogers. Other shortlisted artists were Anastasia Samoylova, Jo Ractliffe, and Gilles Peress. A recent ArtReview profile by Fi Churchman explored how Lawson's photobooks construct an expansive mythological family that questions Western portrait traditions. The prize specifically honors those making the most important photographic impact annually.