Rado Star awarded to Olivier Christinat

The international photography prize, which is awarded jointly by the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography and Rado Uhren, provides the winner with the organization of an exhibition at the next festival, the payment of production costs for the exhibited work up to CHF 10,000 and a residency in China. The prize-winning photographs were selected from 200 portfolios from 15 countries, which were assessed by a jury chaired by Simon Baker, curator of the Photography and International Art department at the Tate Modern in London.

The jury, which met in Biel on 15 June this year, chose the "Nouveaux Souvenirs" series by Olivier Christinat, whose fascinating effect was further enhanced on closer inspection of the images, as detailed in a press release from the organizers. They show people in a condensed combination with urban elements and are the result of a careful selection by the photographer. The image setting is realized in two steps: First from a great distance when he took pictures in Japan, then through a detailed examination of the snapshots to discover a previously unnoticed latent theme in them. The jury praised not only the high experimental quality of the award-winning work, but also the original treatment of photographic themes, which stood out from the usual clichés about Japan, a country that has been photographed millions of times.

Members of the jury were Simon Baker (Chairman, Curator of Photography and International Art at the Tate Modern in London), Mirjam Fischer (independent author of books on art, photography and design in Zurich), Gerardo Mosquera (independent art critic, curator, historian and artistic director of PHotoEspaña in Madrid). Hélène Joye-Cagnard (co-director of the Biel/Bienne Photo Days) and Philippe Walther, brand manager for the Swiss market at Rado watches, were also on the jury in an advisory capacity.

The series "Nouveaux Souvenirs" will be on display at the next Biel/Bienne Photo Days from September 6 to 29, 2013.