SOMFY Photography Award 2022

From October 8, 2022 to January 23, 2023 Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht presents the exhibition BACK HOME. The museum shows new work by eight professional photographers nominated for the Somfy Photography Award 2022. The two winners of the European photography competition will be announced at the opening of the group exhibition.

The photographers include Jérémy De Backer (FR), Popel Coumou (NL), Nathalie Daoust (CAN), Chantal Heijnen (NL), Victor Hübner (DE), Bas Losekoot (NL), Petra Noordkamp (NL) and Fab Rideti ( FR). The finalists have visualized the current theme of BACK HOME in an individual photo series and are each given their own space in the museum to present the series.

The global pandemic in 2020 and 2021 forced everyone to focus on 'home'. Suddenly, more time was spent there than ever before. Sleeping, eating, working, leisure and even holidays. A period of complete dependence on 'home' has fortunately come to an end and society has slowly returned to 'normal' life.

Everyone experienced and underwent that period in their own way. But what does it mean to us to be 'home', in what way do we remember it later? Or not to have a house that offers safety. How do people experience the feeling of 'home' and how can we convey this in relation to our well-being, protection and comfort? How does 'home' feel, what happens there and what does it look like?

The Somfy Photography Award 2022 has a first prize of €15,000 and a second prize of €10,000. The jury consists of Bene Taschen (gallery owner in Cologne), Roos Schouw (editor-in-chief of Focus Magazine), Paul Kooiker (photographer), André Terlingen (designer and photographer), Huub Koene (initiator Award) and Erik de Jong (director of the Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof ).

Somfy is a global company and offers a wide range of innovative and sustainable technological solutions for a comfortable and safe living environment. The biennial photography prize is a Dutch initiative that stimulates the development of photography internationally in an inspiring and creative way.