Exhibition of the international photography contest Bird in Flight Prize

An exhibition of the works of the finalists of the international photography contest Bird in Flight Prize ‘21 is now open at the Exhibition Hall of the Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre (KKKC) (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipeda)

The Bird in Flight, an online publication on photography and visual culture, organizes the international contest Bird in Flight Prize. This contest is for authors looking for new forms of storytelling through photography. In 2021, the contest was held for the fourth time; photographers from all over the world were able to submit their works on any subject. In the previous years, photographers from Ukraine, Bangladesh and Peru have been Bird in Flight Prize laureates.

In 2021, the contest received almost 400 entries from 53 countries. Authors from Spain, Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, Italy, Austria, Russia and Brazil made it to the finals. German photographer Raphael Heigster has become the winner. The main prize of the contest is 2000 euros. Each finalist also receives a Bird In Flight Prize statuette.

In the first stage of the contest, the international juries have selected 100 projects from all of the works submitted. The commission consisted of: Lyolya Goldstein, creative director, curator of the Bird in Flight; Anton Shebetko, artist, editor of the Bird In Flight; Lilia Kudelia, art historian, curator of Dallas Contemporary and Residency Unlimited; Darius Vaičekauskas, artist, curator, head of the Association The Art Zone, Klaipeda branch of the Lithuanian Union of Photographers, head of the Union of Artists.

The projects selected in the second stage have been judged by the main jury: Karen McQuaid, senior curator of The Photographers’ Gallery (UK); Paolo Woods, photographer, researcher, co-founder of Riverboom (Italy); Fred Ritchin, dean emeritus of the International Center of Photography in New York (USA); Paola Jimenez Quispe, photographer, Winner of the Bird In Flight Prize 2020 (Peru); Valentin Bo, photographer, member of the Ukrainian Alternative Photography (UPHA) (Ukraine); Newsha Tavakolian, photographer, member of Magnum (Iran).

“Many of the projects turned out to be very interesting to me,” says the jury member Fred Ritchin. “The authors, taking into account today’s issues, have chosen different methods and examined topics that often remain unspoken: trauma, separation, loss, future, distance, body, alternative theories of cosmology, political systems. Many photography schools around the world are still teaching old photography techniques and not exploring new strategies. That is why many photographers get stuck in 20th century models.”

The jury has selected the top ten finalists in two stages, and then determined the winner. 

Lyolya Goldshtein, the curator of the Bird in Flight Prize, notes that the works of the finalists have been diverse in terms of topics and material and performance techniques: “We have received 375 projects. Geography is wide – USA, Brazil, Japan and so on. The authors raise universal topics around the world, such as trauma, ecology, and women’s rights. In addition, there were many fun projects. However, most of the works are for personal experience. They seem to be the most interesting to me: it is easier to feel empathy for an artist talking about personality.”

In December, the works of the finalists were published on the Bird In Flight website and presented in Kiev, on the largest LED screens in Europe, in the Guliver shopping centre. The winner of the contest has also been announced there. Rafael Heigster has become the winner, with the project “Corona Rhapsody – Is It Real Life (part 2)”, talking about the consequences of the pandemic. Photos from the project of the photographer were being broadcast on the same screens until 17 December.

There has also been a special nomination for the favourites of the readers of the contest. The visitors of the website have chosen the winner – everyone could mark their favourite photography project. The list of 15 projects for this nomination has been drawn up in two stages: first, the projects were selected by a selection panel, and then by the editors of the Bird In Flight. Bohdan Gulyai, Ukrainian photographer, has become the winner, with the “V” project. The author has received a special prize of € 500.

The Bird In Flight Prize has been held annually since 2018. In January 2022, Phmuseum – a curated network for contemporary photography, together with the Bird In Flight Selection Committee, will present selected projects from the submitted works at an online exhibition on the PhMuseum platform.

The main exhibition of the works of the finalists of this contest of 2021 is organized at the Exhibition Hall of the Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre. The exhibition in Klaipeda is presented by the partner of the Bird in Flight Prize – Klaipeda branch of the Union of the Lithuanian art photographers

Contest website: https://prize.birdinflight.com

The exhibition will run until 13 February 2022

KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipeda) opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday 11 am – 7 pm. (closed on public holidays).

Photography and filming will take place during the event. Please be informed that the participants can be seen in the photos and videos of the event, which can be published in the media.

Visitors are required to comply with safety requirements subject to quarantine restrictions.

Moments from the opening!