Photographic perspectives

Parlament/Parliament, 2009.
Courtesy Sprüth Magers Berlin, London. Esther Schipper, Berlin.
Matthew Marks Gallery, New York.
© THOMAS DEMAND, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn/DACS London.

The Guardian has an interesting article on-line concerning the 'photographers' selected for the 2011 Deutsche Börse prize currently on show at The Photographer's Gallery in London. According to the article, The Photographer's Gallery has come in for much criticism concerning curatorial choices and an apparent limited range of photographic work deemed suitable for exhibition. Of course this is just one opinion, and to be fair The Photographer's Gallery seems to have a diverse program in place considering the number of photographic genres and myriad photographer types (commercial, artist, happy snapper, semi-pro...) there are to keep happy. The four short-listed contenders for the 2011 Deutsche Börse are Thomas Demand, Elad Lassry, Roe Ethbridge and Jim Goldberg who all approach photography from quite different vantage points. The winner for the prestigious prize will be announced in London on 26 April 2011. It is impossible to please everyone, and no matter who wins the decision is bound to be a little controversial. My money is on Demand.