Sebastian Wells and Vsevolod Kazarin jointly win the German Peace Prize for Photography in the anniversary year

The German Peace Prize for Photography was awarded to German photographer Sebastian Wells and his Ukrainian project partner Vsevolod Kazarin at a ceremony in Osnabrück on 4 May. With their recent work on young people in Kiev, the two photographers send a strong and hopeful message in the midst of the war in Ukraine: Young people are defying the war and presenting themselves with admirable individual strength and courage. The German Peace Prize for Photography is a joint initiative of the international specialty paper manufacturer Felix Schoeller and the City of Peace Osnabrück. The prize is worth 10,000 Euro. The winning series as well as the works of all nominees will be exhibited at the Museumsquartier in Osnabrück from 5 May to 6 August 2023.

The German Peace Prize for Photography honours works that deal with the theme of peace in a photographic and conceptual way.  "This year, the German Peace Prize for Photography is in the spotlight as our home town of Osnabrück celebrates the 375th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia. At the same time, we are witnessing a cold-blooded war of aggression in Europe. In view of today's geopolitical situation, we feel more committed than ever. With the Peace Prize we want to make the quest for peace a photographic theme and communicate it," says Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp, CEO of Felix Schoeller.

This year's winning entry has a special story behind it. When Ukrainian fashion photographer Vsevolod Kazarin and German documentary photographer Sebastian Wells met in Kyiv in 2022, they decided to start a joint photographic project: a series of portraits of a young generation of creative people in Kyiv, against the backdrop of growing up in the midst of revolution, conflict and war. Using the tools of documentary photography, they portrayed the protagonists from their respective situations in their personal environments. The pictures are not just stylistic reportage, but testimony to a historical moment: in the midst of times of war and violence, this photographic art project shows the power of the medium of photography as a fundamental form of resistance against tyranny, war and oppression.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schneckener, jury member and Professor of International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies at the Centre for Democracy and Peace Research (ZeDF) at the University of Osnabrück and Chairman of the Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research: "The award-winning work shows young Ukrainian artists and activists in Kyiv a few weeks after the start of the war. Their faces show shock, but also the determined resistance with which they face the threat. They document the emancipation of a young generation determined to defend the freedoms and rights they have won. The prize-winning photographs show how much freedom and peace go together".

Michael Dannenmann, Chairman of the Felix Schoeller Photo Award Jury: "These excellent and bizarre images by Sebastian Wells and Vsevolod Kazarin capture the attitude to life of an entire generation - a photographic work that takes us wonderfully into the minds of the protagonists." Jury member Hannah Schuh adds: "The two photographers are close to their generation in Kyiv and in their collaborative project show civilians as self-confident citizens of their city. The duo proves that together they can open up new perspectives".

Vsevolod Kazarin (b. 2000) is a young Ukrainian artist working with photography. He was born in the Luhansk region and grew up in a suburb of Kiev, where he now lives. After graduating from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts with a bachelor's degree in photography, Vsevolod works on artistic, editorial and commercial projects. He tries to find ways to use photography as a visual language to reflect the horrific reality of the war in Ukraine.

Sebastian Wells (b. 1996) was born and raised in Berlin. A member of the Berlin-based photography collective Ostkreuz, he works as a documentary photographer both on commission and on his own projects. He studied photography at the Ostkreuzschule in Berlin, the Fachhochschule Bielefeld and the KASK School of Arts in Ghent. After the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine, he decided to travel to Kiev, where he met Vsevolod. Together they not only took photographs as a team, but also founded soлomiya, a pan-national artists' magazine published in both Germany and Ukraine and distributed worldwide.

The entries for this year's German Peace Prize for Photography included excellent, sometimes very depressing photo series, many of which dealt with the effects of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine.

But that was not all: there were also photo series from other conflict zones such as Syria, Yemen, Iran or Afghanistan. There was also an emphasis on the big issues of the day, such as flight and climate change. These works often offer a different perspective on war, violence or protest, and are powerful appeals to humanity, resistance and justice.

In addition to the winners, Aljoscha (Germany), Yagazie Emezi (Nigeria), Cèsar Dezfuli (Spain) and Mattia Velati (Italy) were nominated for the German Peace Prize for Photography. These stunning works will also be on show at the Museumsquartier in Osnabrück from 5 May to 6 August.

André Partmann
Corporate Communications Manager
Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH & Co. KG | Burg Gretesch 1 | 49086 Osnabrück
APartmann@felix-schoeller.com
+49 (0)541 3800- 200