Two Dutch photographers were nominated in the Professional competition of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards: Jasper Doest and Marinka Masséus were in contention for the 2019 Photographer of the Year title.
At the time of this report, the jury had shortlisted Jasper Doest in Professional Natural World & Wildlife and Marinka Masséus in Professional Creative. The official competition archive now records both as the winners of their respective categories.
The judges praised Jasper Doest for his ability to offer insight into the animal world. His series is titled Meet Bob, documenting Bob, a rescued Caribbean flamingo from the Dutch island of Curaçao.
Doest: “Bob’s life took a dramatic turn when he flew into a hotel window and suffered a severe concussion. He was cared for by Odette Doest, a local veterinarian who also runs an animal-welfare rehabilitation and conservation centre—the Fundashon Dier en Onderwijs Cariben (FDOC). Bob’s existing disability meant that he could not be released. Instead, he became an ambassador for FDOC, which teaches local people about the importance of protecting wildlife.”
Jasper Doest is a Dutch photographer who creates visual stories that offer insight into non-human lives. Doest is a Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and an ambassador for the Dutch World Wide Fund for Nature. He regularly lectures on photography, conservation, and global sustainability.
It must be frustrating to be underestimated all the time
Amsterdam-based artist Marinka Masséus was shortlisted for her series Chosen [not] to be.
She created the series after reading Zwartboek (Dutch for “Black Book”), a collection of experiences shared by people with Down syndrome. Her series challenges widely accepted prejudices about people with Down syndrome. It forms part of an international project called Radical Beauty, which aims to give people with Down syndrome their rightful place in the visual arts.
Masséus: “The young women I worked with had a strong will to succeed. To prove themselves. It must be frustrating to be underestimated all the time. Chosen [not] to be reflects their reality—the barriers they encounter, society’s refusal to see their abilities, and the invisibility of their true selves—and translates their experiences visually.”
Masséus is a photographer whose work centres on people, their place in society, and gender equality. A multi-award-winning photographer, her images have been published by media around the world.
The category winners were due to be announced at a ceremony in London on April 17. The shortlisted and winning photographs were scheduled to be exhibited in London from April 18 to May 6, 2019. All winners were also to be included in the 2019 Awards book.
More information: www.worldphoto.org.
