THE HUMAN CONDITION AT FUNDACIÓN PROA: TWELVE LENSES ON CONTEMPORARY URGENT ISSUES
The tenth edition of the Prix Pictet brings together in Buenos Aires twelve international photographers who address the major social and environmental challenges of our time.
For the first time in Latin America, Fundación Proa presents Human, the tenth edition of the Prix Pictet, the world’s leading award for contemporary photography focused on sustainability. From September to November 2025, Proa’s Gallery 4 will showcase the work of twelve finalists who, from diverse contexts, document the major challenges of our time.
Featuring images by Hoda Afshar (Iran), Gera Artemova (Ukraine), Ragnar Axelsson (Iceland), Alessandro Cinque (Italy/Peru), Siân Davey (United Kingdom), Federico Ríos Escobar (Colombia), Gauri Gill (India), Michał Łuczak (Poland), Yael Martínez (Mexico), Richard Renaldi (United States), Vanessa Winship (United Kingdom/Bulgaria) and Vasantha Yogananthan (France), the exhibition addresses urgent issues such as migration, conflict, labor, memory, and the tensions between development and environmental degradation.
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Alessandro Cinque. Antes de la llegada de la minería a Ayaviri, en el departamento de Puno, las comunidades locales vendían su queso y su leche por todo Perú. Debido a la contaminación del agua y a la sequía, la cantidad y la calidad de la leche de vaca disminuyeron, siendo cada vez más difícil vender los productos, 2021. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 40 x 60 cm. Cortesía del artista. Fundación Proa
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Federico Rios Escobar. Hamlet desolado, 2022. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 34 x 51 cm. Cortesía del artista. Fundación Proa
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Gauri Gill. Jannat, Barmer, 1999 - en curso. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 71 x 46 cm. Cortesía del artista y James Cohan, Nueva York. Fundación Proa
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Gera Artemova. Izq: Fragmento de un fresco de la Catedral de Santa Sofía, siglo XI, Kyiv. Der:Mano de mi hijo Miguel, Vyhraiv, Cherkasy Oblast, 2022. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 23,33 x 35 cm. Cortesía de la artista. Fundación Proa
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Hoda Afshar. S/t #2, 2015-20. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 39,9 x 59,9 cm. Cortesía de la artista y de Milani Gallery, Brisbane. Fundación Proa
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Michał Łuczak. Minero, 2017. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 64 x 84 cm. Cortesía del artista. Fundación Proa
“These works alert us to the threats we face and to the ever-narrowing range of options for achieving a positive outcome,” notes Sir David King, Chair of the Jury. The photography gathered in this edition operates as a critical and sensitive tool, revealing complex realities without resorting to literalism or spectacle.
Founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group, the award uses the power of photography to raise global awareness of the planet’s most pressing challenges. Over its ten editions, the Prix Pictet has explored themes such as Water, Earth, Consumption, Hope and Fire, involving more than 5,000 photographers worldwide. The winner, chosen by an independent jury, receives a CHF 100,000 prize — one of the most significant in the field.
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Ragnar Axelsson. Glaciar Kötlujökull, Islandia, 2021. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 83 x 120,5 cm. Cortesía del artista y de Qerndu, Reikiavik. Fundación Proa
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Richard Renaldi. Serie: Armonías perturbadas (2022-23). Fundación Proa
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Siân Davey. Lila, 2022. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 40 x 50 cm. Cortesía de la artista y de la Michael Hoppen Gallery, Londres. Fundación Proa
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Vanessa Winship. Tunceli - Anatolia Oriental, 2007. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 25 x 20 cm. Cortesía de la artista y de Agence VU’. Fundación Proa
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Vasantha Yogananthan. S/t , 2022. Fotografía directa, impresión giclée, 88, 5 x 70, 5 cm. Cortesía del artista. Fundación Proa
The arrival of Human at Fundación Proa strengthens the institution’s long-standing focus on photography. Over nearly three decades, Proa has hosted exhibitions by Sebastião Salgado, Christiano Junior, Grete Stern, and the Düsseldorf School, as well as landmark collaborations with the Getty Museum.
“For Fundación Proa, presenting the Prix Pictet in Argentina for the first time opens a space for dialogue between contemporary photography and the urgent questions of our time,” says Adriana Rosenberg, President of Fundación Proa. “This award, which brings together artists from around the world to reflect on the links between image, sustainability, and the human condition, resonates deeply with Proa’s mission to foster critical thought and cultural debate.”
By joining the international tour of the Prix Pictet —which has traveled through London, Paris, Tokyo, Munich, Dubai, and Dublin— Fundación Proa reaffirms its commitment to the transformative potential of art. The exhibition is accompanied by Public Programs and educational activities organized by Proa’s Education Department, with the support of Tenaris, Ternium, and Tecpetrol.
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