Shahidul Alam

Photographer and Critic

A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry at London University before switching to photography. He returned to his hometown Dhaka in 1984, where he photographed the democratic struggle to remove General Ershad.

A former president of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, Alam set up the award winning Drik agency, the Bangladesh Photographic Institute and Pathshala, the South Asian Institute of Photography, considered one of the finest schools of photography in the world. Director of the Chobi Mela festival and chairman of Majority World agency, Alam’s work has been exhibited in galleries such as MOMA in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Royal Albert Hall in London and The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Tehran.

A guest curator of the National Art Gallery in Malaysia and the Brussels Biennale, Alam’s numerous photographic awards include the Mother Jones and the Andrea Frank Awards. He has been a jury member in prestigious international contests, including World Press Photo, which he chaired. An Honorary Fellow of the Bangladesh Photographic Society and the Royal Photographic Society Alam is a visiting professor of Sunderland University in the UK. He recently set up a media academy in Bangladesh.

Shahidul Alam was involved as a curator and an artist for the exhibition “Where Three Dreams Cross” which was shown at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, 21 January – 11 April 2010. His show “Crossfire” on extra judicial killings in Bangladesh was closed down by the government.

Growth Jury

The jury for the Prix Pictet are a group of leading experts in the visual arts from around the world including directors of major museums and galleries as well as journalists and critics. They lead the global search for images of high artistic qcuality and narrative power and fit the theme of a particular cycle.

Professor Sir David King (Chairman)

Director, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford

Learn more

Shahidul Alam

Photographer and Critic

Learn more

Peter Aspden

Arts Writer, Financial Times

Learn more

Michael Fried

Critic and Art Historian

Learn more

Loa Haagen Pictet

Pictet Art Consultant and Curator, Pictet & Cie

Learn more

Nadav Kander

Winner, Prix Pictet 2009

Learn more

Christine Loh

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer,Civic Exchange (Hong Kong)

Learn more

Fumio Nanjo

Director, Mori Art Museum (Tokyo)

Learn more