Congratulations to our recent Photography graduate Eline Benjaminsen for receiving the Steenbergen Stipendium!
The jury – consisting of Caroline von Courten (chair of the Steenbergen Stipendium jury and assistant researcher in photographic theory at the University of Leiden), Jaap Scheeren (photographer and winner of an Honourable Mention in the Steenbergen Stipendium 2003) and Merel Bem (art critic and writer) – feels that Benjaminsen’s graduation project is an impressive work of museum quality.
Its report states that:
‘This work succeeds in capturing a pressing, fascinating and intangible subject in a highly professional manner. The film with its excellent soundscape stands head and shoulders above its competitors. The viewer is literally drawn into it. Her voice-over creates a sense of intimacy that counters the abstract nature of the (for many people) unfamiliar subject.'
Read the full jury report.
Benjaminsen's project:
‘If I say stock exchange, what image does this bring to mind?’ is the question Eline Benjaminsen repeatedly asks the viewer in Where the money is made. Meanwhile, a bird’s-eye view of the German landscape slowly passes by. The cinematic flight is frequently interrupted by colourful graphs showing the peaks and troughs of the financial market or by brief portraits of cities like London, Frankfurt and Calais, where high-frequency trading takes place.
Benjaminsen’s film reflects on how the financial market has abandoned all connection with the earth. The tall radio masts that set the stage for this high-frequency trading are the only physical elements that still remind us of this parallel reality in the clouds.
The Steenbergen Stipendium has been awarded since 1998 to the best photographic graduation project created by a student of one of the Dutch art academies.
The work of the five nominated students will be exhibited in the Nederlands Fotomuseum from 16 September until 29 October 2017.
The award ceremony was held on 11 October 2017. In previous editions of the Steenbergen Stibendium the award has been received by KABK alumni Kimmo Virtanen (2016), Esther Hovers (2015), Olya Oleinic (2014), Willem Popelier (2008).
