Russian photographer wins international prize for young talent

A Russian photographer has won first prize in the experimental category of one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world, the Grand Prix de la Decouverte, for emerging talent. Winner Julia Borissova won the fine art competition with her project Running to the Edge, a unique take on history, time and memory.

For the project, Borissova anonymises subjects in photographs of Russian emigres from the 1920s by covering them with flower petals. The colourful petals, glued onto the fading black-and-white and sepia images reflect on the how memories change over time and how our brains replace forgotten passages with other memories. “This way,” says Borissova, I’m also trying to achieve the connection between modern dimension and telling a story.”

Borissova will also receive $2,000 and have her work exhibited at the Paris Salon de la Photo in November, an event that is visited by over 80,000 people each year. The images will then become part of the prestigious collection at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.