Five Aesthetica Art Prize Artists Use Photography to Explore Reality and Imagination

Five artists shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize employ photography to challenge distinctions between reality and fiction. Michelle Watt, drawing on her Chinese American background, stages whimsical narratives addressing cultural identity and female minority experiences, embedding social commentary in her work. Seb Agnew creates dreamlike scenes exploring disorientation and solitude, with series like Syncope and Cube shortlisted in 2021. Ruby Hyde crafts dark visual fairytales using Photoshop to blend light and shadow, treating image-making as akin to painting. JeeYoung Lee reinterprets psychological landscapes into studio-based stage sets in her ongoing series Stage of Mind, questioning identity. May Parlar uses performative photography and video to meditate on nomadic existence and female identity in series like Collective Solitude from 2018. Their works transform photography into a medium for psychological and emotional exploration, drawing on personal histories and collective memory. The Aesthetica Art Prize offers a £10,000 award and exhibition opportunity, with entries currently open. Emma Jacob authored the article, published on 17 January 2026.