The Hindu : Front Page : Prince Claus Award for Indian ace

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Friday, Jan 23, 2009
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Front Page

Prince Claus Award for Indian ace

Special Correspondent

Dayanita Singh, the renowned Indian photographer, was awarded the Prince Claus award by Bob Hiensch, the Netherlands Ambassador, on Thursday. She had been named one of the three Prince Claus laureates for personalities working in the fields of photography and film this year.

The theme of the 2008 awards was Culture and the Human Body. The jury said Ms. Singh was “awarded for the outstanding quality of her images, for providing a well-articulated view of contemporary India, and for introducing a new aesthetic into Indian photography.”

Ms. Singh, who studied at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and the International Centre of Photography, New York, and lives in New Delhi and Goa, is known for her black-and-white portraits of Indian middle and upper class families. Her books are Myself Mona Ahmed, Privacy, Go Away Closer and Sent a Letter.

As a recipient of the Prince Claus Award, Ms. Singh follows other Indians including author Indira Goswami (Principal Prince Claus Award for 2008), painter Bhupen Kaakkar, the magazine Communalism Combat represented by its journalists Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand, and film-maker Kumar Shahani as an awardee. The Prince Claus awards were established in 1996.

Ms. Singh received €25,000 as a part of the award.

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