Ottawa, November 4, 2008 – The Canada Council for the Arts announced today that photographer Catherine Bodmer, of Montreal, is the winner of the Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography for 2008.
The Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography was established by the Canadian government in 1986 through an endowment to the Canada Council of $170,000 for an annual prize in photography. The prize is given to the best professional artist in photography who was awarded a Canada Council project grant in 2008 and who has also been particularly recognized for the quality of their work. The $8,000 prize is awarded in addition to the recipient's grant.
Ms. Bodmer was selected by a peer assessment committee made up of: Marc Audette (Bowden, ON), Lucie-Clair Chan (Halifax), James Cran (Calgary), Luanne Martineau (Victoria, BC), and Nadia Myre
(Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, QC).
Images of Ms. Bodmer and her work can be downloaded from the Canada Council image gallery.
Originally from Switzerland, Catherine Bodmer has a degree from the École des Beaux-arts de Lucerne in Switzerland and earned a master's degree in plastic arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal in 1999. Since 2004 she has been the artistic coordinator of Articule, an
artist-run centre in Montreal. Her practice includes installations,
site-specific works and photography. The gradual transformation of objects, materials and abandoned places is often the starting point for the development of works that put the ordinary in the center of attention.
Her recent photographic work examines the notion of real and imaginary places, and the position of the individual in these spaces. By working with the repetition and variation of the same subject, she focuses on subtle alterations in scale, suggesting situations that are coherent yet divergent. Since 1997, her work has been presented in several individual and group exhibitions in Quebec, elsewhere in Canada, Mexico and Taiwan.
In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to raising public awareness and celebration of these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level.
Please visit our website for a complete listing of these awards.
