Themes of cultural identity and political conflict prevail in this year’s shortlist for the MACK First Book Award, which includes dummy photobooks that explore interracial marriage in Zimbabwe, the UK’s June 2016 referendum on EU membership, and young Turkish immigrants living in Europe, plus others addressing universal themes of family, time, and space.
The prestigious award is now in its eighth year, having been set up in 2012 to support emerging and unpublished photographers. The First Book Award has helped launch the careers of image-makers like Paul Salveson and Joanna Piotrowska, via shortlists nominated by a panel of international experts – until now. This year, for first time, the shortlist has been drawn from an open call.
“One of the things we are attempting to remove is the notion that unless you’re connected, unless you’re in the know and have contacts in that sphere, you can’t go forward,” said Michael Mack, founder of MACK, to bjp-online in December 2018. “We want to discourage that idea.”
The shortlist was compiled by five industry experts, including Michael Mack, founder of MACK; Sarah Allen, assistant curator at Tate Modern; Emma Bowkett, director of photography at the FT Weekend Magazine; Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, photographer and writer; and Polly Fleury, director of special projects at the Wilson Centre for Photography.
The shortlisted books are: E2-E4 by Jacob Clayton; Turunc by Solene Gun: Oobanken by Jerome Ming; 1972 by Rachel Monosov & Admire Kamudzengerere; The Buzzer by Miguel Proença; June by Tereza Cervenova; Flattened in Time and Space by Angelo Vignali; Alexander by Michal Siarek; Czarna Madonna (Black Madonna) by Jagoda Wisniewska; and Days by Alia Zapparova
Image from Turunc by Solene Gun courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Turunc by Solene Gun courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from The Buzzer by Miguel Proença courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from The Buzzer by Miguel Proença courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from June by Tereza Cervenova courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from June by Tereza Cervenova courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Oobanken by Jerome Ming courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Oobanken by Jerome Ming courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Days by Alia Zapparova courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Days by Alia Zapparova courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Alexander by Michal Siarek courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Alexander by Michal Siarek courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Czarna Madonna (Black Madonna) by Jagoda Wisniewska courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Czarna Madonna (Black Madonna) by Jagoda Wisniewska courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from E2-E4 by Jacob Clayton courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from E2-E4 by Jacob Clayton courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Flattened in Time and Space by Angelo Vignali courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from Flattened in Time and Space by Angelo Vignali courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from 1972 by Rachel Monosov & Admire Kamudzengerere courtesy of the artist and MACKImage from 1972 by Rachel Monosov & Admire Kamudzengerere courtesy of the artist and MACK
Marigold Warner worked as an editor at BJP between 2018 and 2023. She studied English Literature and History of Art at the University of Leeds, followed by an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London. Her work has been published by titles including the Telegraph Magazine, Huck, Elephant, Gal-dem, The Face, Disegno, and the Architects Journal.
