Awarded for his poignant photobook, I carry Her photo with Me, Sobekwa transforms personal loss into a powerful meditation on memory, grief and South Africa’s fractured past.
Lindokuhle Sobekwa, I carry Her photo with Me, 2024. Courtesy of the artist.
South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa has been awarded the 2025 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize for his deeply personal photobook I carry Her photo with Me, published by MACK in 2024. The £30,000 prize was announced on 15 May 2025 at The Photographers’ Gallery in London by author and photographer Caleb Azumah Nelson.
Recognised as one of the most significant accolades in international photography, the annual prize honours artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the field over the past year. Sobekwa’s award-winning project traces the emotional and psychological impact of his sister Ziyanda’s disappearance and eventual death, blending documentary and personal narrative in a powerfully resonant visual language.
The story began with a photograph Sobekwa found in his mother’s Bible – a family portrait with Ziyanda’s face cut out. It was the only image he had of her. As children, a tragic accident left Sobekwa hospitalised and traumatised, after which Ziyanda vanished. She returned ten years later, gravely ill. By then, Sobekwa had become a photographer. He tried to take her portrait, but her rejection marked the beginning of a final chapter. Ziyanda passed away soon after.
Through photography, handwritten text and archival family snapshots, ‘I carry Her photo with Me’ becomes a haunting meditation on memory, grief and disappearance. It also opens up broader reflections on South Africa’s social landscape — a country still marked by the legacies of apartheid, poverty and fragmentation.
Speaking on behalf of the Jury, Shoair Mavlian, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery, noted: “Lindokuhle powerfully uses photography to speak about past trauma, loss and memory, not just within his family but across post-Apartheid South Africa. His storytelling is emotionally direct, visually simple, and profoundly moving.”
Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, added: “His book shows the poetic strength of photography to create dialogue and heal. It’s a deeply human story told with clarity and care.”
Three other artists — Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune and Tarrah Krajnak — were shortlisted for the Prize, each receiving £5,000. The group exhibition featuring work by all four finalists is currently on view at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, through 15 June 2025.
Born 1995 in Thokoza, South Africa, Sobekwa discovered photography in 2012 through the Of Soul and Joy programme. He joined Magnum Photos in 2018 and became a full member in 2022. His work has been shown internationally, including at Paris Photo with Goodman Gallery and Magnin-A.
Sobekwa’s practice explores themes of absence, displacement and the enduring effects of colonialism. ‘I carry Her photo with Me’ is a luminous example of how personal history can illuminate shared social realities — and how photography can serve as witness and tribute.
The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, now in its 29th year, is one of the world’s leading photography awards. Founded by The Photographers’ Gallery in 1996 and supported by the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation since 2005, the Prize has recognised a broad spectrum of groundbreaking photographic work. Past winners include Lebohang Kganye, Deana Lawson, Samuel Fosso, Susan Meiselas, and Trevor Paglen.
For more information, please visit The Photographers’ Gallery and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation.
