South African photographer wins top prize

Lebohang Kganye has won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2024 for her exhibition titled, Haufi nyana? I’ve come to take you home.

Kganye, from Johannesburg, South Africa, was awarded the £30,000 prize on Thursday at a ceremony at The Photographers’ Gallery in London.

The annual award recognises artists and projects for their contributions to the world of photography over the past year.

Haufi nyana? meaning “too close?” in Sesotho, one of South Africa’s official languages, explores and reimagines notions of home, belonging, heritage and identity.

Growing up in post-apartheid Johannesburg, the artist delves into South Africa’s past, reflecting the consequences of apartheid and colonialism, drawing inspiration from shared oral histories and fictional texts.

Kganye uses silhouettes and life-sized cut-out figures of her family crafted from images found in photo albums.

The installation considers the impact of her family’s forced migration, because of land acts and apartheid law, including the alteration of their surname.

“Her innovative use of photography brings together past and present to explore the political through deeply personal stories of her own family and history,” says Clare Grafik, acting director of The Photographers’ Gallery, who chaired the jury.

“Sometimes theatrical, always experimental, her use of photography and her own archives is powerful and refreshing.”

Kganye’s exhibition was originally displayed at Foam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 2023.

Her work is on display at The Photographers’ Gallery alongside the other shortlisted artists – Valie Export, Gauri Gill & Rajesh Vangad and Hrair Sarkissian – until 2 June 2024.

Here is a selection of work by the three other shortlisted artists.