The Prix Pictet global photography and sustainability award is making its first appearance in South America.

Prix ​​Pictet , the most important international award that unites photography and sustainability , comes to our country for the first time, with its exhibition Human , which opens this Saturday at the Proa Foundation and presents 90 works by 12 photographers who explore the need to find delicate details of everyday life during war, the lives of indigenous peoples or migration crises and their profound consequences, among other topics.

Additionally, in partnership with the National Museum of Fine Arts , the three institutions plan to launch a version of the award in South America, something that its director and founder, Michael Benson , assures will be an opportunity to get closer to the photography of our continent.

–What has been the central objective of the award since its creation in 2008?

–The main objective has been to showcase excellent photography under the theme of sustainability, a term we understand in terms of various specificities, such as climate and social change, migration, and patterns of people's behavior related to travel and the consequences of technological advances, among other aspects. The award was established 17 years ago thanks to the initiative of the Pictet Group and managed to establish itself when discussing these issues was still a novelty and a concern for few, especially in the art world. Our work methodology is centered around two-year cycles, with "Human" being our tenth edition.

–What are the main characteristics of the award, and what does the pluralistic perspective offered by nominators from all over the world contribute?

We've built a global network of nominators—350 in total—who are responsible for selecting the photographers they consider worthy of the award. No one can self-nominate; everything is handled through this group of experts. After that, an independent jury is formed to preselect 12 photographers, whom we present at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and who constitute the seed of the theme proposed for each edition. They spend a day observing the works until they choose a winner. However, that's not the end of the project; it's just the beginning, as these artists come together for an exhibition that we present for two years.

–Regarding "Human," the exhibition opening at the Proa Foundation, why did you decide to bring it to our continent for the first time?

We feel it's important to begin building a closer relationship with Latin America, especially with the countries of the South, as we haven't included many artists from the region in recent editions. Furthermore, this opening is the final presentation of the series, which is a bit sad on one hand, as it marks the end of an era, but it also means something new is about to begin. We value creating partnerships with institutions so that more people can see the work of these extraordinary photographers, including the series' winner, Gauri Gill. When we started, people asked us what sustainability meant, as it was a topic that wasn't yet discussed, but it grew significantly and became relevant in everyone's lives, which is why the exhibition resonates with people today, including the new generations who are growing up alongside these debates.

–How did the alliance with Proa and the National Museum of Fine Arts come about to create a version of the Pictet Prize on our continent?

–As I mentioned before, although we've worked with institutions from 150 countries, we feel it's necessary to have a greater presence in South America. Based on the sample, we've shown interest in bringing the project to fruition. While we receive nominations from all over the world, very few come from here. I think this has to do with the fact that we haven't positioned ourselves, something that also happens in Southeast Asia and the reason why we launched a satellite award in Japan. It's difficult to cover everything, but we believe it's a good time to share our knowledge, teams, and experts to adapt to what's best for this context.

–What is your view of the contemporary photography scene in relation to new technologies? Are we experiencing a paradigm shift?

–It's an interesting topic to discuss, and it depends on where you are in the world. Where I live, in London, I think photography wasn't of huge interest, unlike in cities like Paris, but it's managed to gain ground because it's a very democratic medium, not only because anyone can do it, but because it helps them understand how difficult it is to take a good photograph. We can imitate the great artists who dedicate themselves to this technique, but never imitate them, regardless of the resources available to us. And while technology has helped popularize it, I also see how many people, especially younger people, are going back to basics, exploring analog options, and that's also a very interesting change.

Human can be seen at the Proa Foundation (Av. Pedro de Mendoza 1929).