Jamel Shabazz. New York Vibes, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize
September 3, 2026 – January 17, 2026
, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation
“Jamel Shabazz. New York Vibes”
Since the early 1980s, American photographer Jamel Shabazz (*1960) has been capturing everyday scenes in the predominantly African American neighborhoods of his hometown, New York City. On his wanderings through Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, he created countless portraits that are now considered icons of their era. Shabazz turned the sidewalk into his photo studio and captured the vibrant image of a young generation bursting with creative energy. The fact that he was not perceived as a detached observer but as someone who was part of the same social reality is evident in the intimate atmosphere of his individual and group portraits: Black women, men, and children gaze confidently into Shabazz’s camera, unabashedly showcasing their stylish outfits and casual “moves.”
Even as a child, Shabazz was exposed to the world of photography; he had access to family albums, magazines, and books that revealed to him the significance and diversity of the medium. As a teenager, he used his first camera to take early portraits of his friends. After returning from three years of military service in Germany, he began systematically documenting his daily encounters on the streets, in parks, and on the subway starting in 1980. His photographs document the emergence of hip-hop culture as well as the importance of friendship, family, and neighborhood. They were created at a time when life in New York was shaped, among other things, by the consequences of economic decline, racial inequality, the crack epidemic, and mass incarceration. Shabazz witnessed firsthand how the Black population was particularly affected by these issues. For more than 20 years, he worked as a correctional officer in facilities such as Rikers Island, where the inmates were predominantly destitute and more than half suffered from mental illness. While his photographs in public spaces convey a sense of freedom, belonging, and youthful energy, his images from the correctional system focus on hopelessness, marginalization, and the often destructive consequences of social inequality. Here, too, Shabazz photographed with the same sensitivity, portraying people whose lives are marked by upheaval without compromising their dignity. Featuring over 60 photographs, this exhibition offers, for the first time in Germany, far-reaching insights into Shabazz’s multifaceted perspectives on the lives of African American communities in New York during the 1980s and 1990s. It brings together images of exuberant moments in urban youth culture as well as quiet images of a repressive institutional structure, raising fundamental questions about identity, community, and justice. The exhibition was organized in cooperation with Galerie Bene Taschen and curated by Anne-Marie Beckmann, director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation.
“Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026”
At the same time, the Photography Foundation is presenting the exhibition for the “Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026.” Awarded annually by the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation in collaboration with the Photographers’ Gallery in London, it is one of the most prestigious international awards for contemporary photography. This year’s four finalists are Jane Evelyn Atwood, Weronika Gęsicka, Amak Mahmoodian, and the winner, Rene Matić. Over a period of more than ten years, Jane Evelyn Atwood sensitively documented the realities of life for incarcerated women in Europe and the U.S., while simultaneously advocating for improvements to the difficult prison conditions on the ground. In an installation-based presentation, Rene Matić combines everyday observations with intimate insights into his own community and, from a queer, non-white perspective, explores questions of community, belonging, subculture, and class. Amak Mahmoodian, an Iranian artist living in exile in the UK, explores the dreams of other people living in exile, combining photography, drawing, and poetry to create multi-layered narratives about loss, hope, and identity. Weronika Gęsicka, in turn, uses stock photography and AI-generated images to highlight historical misinformation and question the reliability of knowledge and information systems.
The four projects offer different perspectives on social issues such as migration, gender inequality, identity, and the right to truth. The exhibition showcases the full range of photographic forms of expression employed by the featured artists. It spans everything from classic black-and-white photographs, collaborative projects, and installation-style collages to AI-based works. The exhibition was curated by Julia Bunnemann of the Photographers’ Gallery. About the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize: Established in 1996 by the Photographers’ Gallery, the prize has evolved over the course of 30 years into one of the most prestigious international art prizes. Since 2005, the prize has been awarded in collaboration with the Deutsche Börse Group. In 2016, it was renamed the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize after the foundation was established as a nonprofit organization. This prestigious award honors artists for their projects that have made a significant contribution to contemporary photography over the past 12 months. Each year, a group of over 100 photography experts nominates what they consider to be the most significant exhibition projects or publications in Europe from the previous year.
An international jury, which changes annually, selects four finalists from these nominations. In May 2026, Rene Matić was announced at the Photographers’ Gallery in London as the winner of the prestigious 2026 prize, which comes with a cash award of 30,000 pounds. This year’s jury consisted of: Anne-Marie Beckmann (Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation), Shoair Mavlian (Director of the Photographers’ Gallery) as the voting chair, Elisa Medde (Director of the Foto Colectania Foundation in Barcelona, Spain; former editor-in-chief of Foam Magazine), Dr. Mark Sealy (Autograph Gallery), and Newsha Tavakolian (photographer and member of Magnum Photos).
As part of the 32nd season opener, the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is offering free guided tours on Saturday, September 5, at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Advance registration is required.
Contact:
Lucy Nixon
lucy.nixon@deutsche-boerse.com