About
Growth
The theme for the third cycle of the Prix Pictet is Growth. At once a blessing and a curse, Growth, in all its forms, presents one of the great conundrums facing humanity in the early decades of the twenty-first century. From the dizzying expansion of our cities with their ever increasing dependency on scarce natural resources to the relentless growth of populations and the need to feed ourselves.
Unplanned development has ripped the hearts out of many cities and left echoing, crime-ridden canyons in their place. Great industrial plants have fallen into rust and ruin. The outskirts of the megalopolis are often a ghastly penumbra of toxic lakes and streams fouled with waste, huge garbage dumps and shanty towns.
Our use of land, particularly for agriculture, is essential to the survival of the human race. We depend on agriculture to supply us with food and, controversially, with biofuels. Without a highly efficient, productive, and resilient farming system, our society would collapse. Yet we demand more and more from global agriculture, pushing resources to their very limits.
So growth is a paradox. Just as growth threatens to bring environmental catastrophe, so it improves the health and living standards of untold millions around the world. We now face a global crisis in land use and agriculture that could undermine the health, security, and sustainability of our civilization.
Meeting these huge new demands will be one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
The theme of Growth presents a rich creative challenge as the Prix Pictet once again embarks on the search for images of the highest artistic order that not only respond to the paradox of growth but also exhibit some of the possible solutions.
The new cycle of the award was launched on 8 July 2010 at the Théâtre Antique, Arles, with a presentation of works by the laureates of the Prix Pictet - the two winners of the Prix Pictet (Benoit Aquin and Nadav Kander) and the two commissioned artists (Ed Kashi and Munem Wasif).
Following the events in Arles, the Shortlist for the third Prix Pictet will be announced during Paris Photo in November. This announcement will be accompanied by a preview exhibition of the shortlisted works at Galerie Filles du Calvaire, Paris.
