Water

Water 2008

Benoit Aquin, Untitled 01 from series The Chinese 'Dust Bowl', Sanggen Dalai, Inner Mongolia, China, 2006.

The theme of the inaugural Prix Pictet was Water. It is, after all, through water that we are able to see the earliest and most devastating manifestations of climate change: threats to our food supply, to our health, to fragile ecosystems, to the ground on which we live and even to our peace and security.

Over 200 photographers from 43 countries were nominated for the first Prix Pictet, and such was the power of the work submitted that the jury decided to shortlist 18 artists. Kofi Annan, the Honorary President of the Prix Pictet, awarded the prize to the Canadian photographer Benoit Aquin at the opening of the shortlist exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Munem Wasif was invited to complete the Water Commission by visiting the Satkhira region of southwest Bangladesh, where the Pictet Group were supporting the work of the UK based charity, WaterAid.

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 quality and narrative power and fit the theme of a particular cycle.

Water Commission

The Prix Pictet Commission is an invitation from the Partners of the Pictet Group to one of the nominated photographers to undertake a field trip to a region where the Bank are supporting a sustainability project run by a charity or other NGO. Munem Wasif was invited to complete the Water Commission by visiting the Satkhira region of southwest Bangladesh, where the Pictet Group were supporting the work of the UK based charity, WaterAid.


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Munem Wasif, from Series Salt Water Tears: Lives Left Behind in Satkhira. Young children look for small fish in the mud. Vamia, Satkhira. 2008