An exclusive look at the 2023 recipients of The Creator Labs Photo Fund
- Text by Isaac Muk
Google’s Creator Labs and Aperture have announced 30 recipients of the second season of The Creator Labs Photo Fund, who will each receive a one-time $6,000 (£4,900) grant.
This year’s recipients are: Arlene Mejorado, Ashley McLean, Ashley Markle, Avijit Halder, Clara Mokri, Colton Rothwell, Daniel Diasgranados, Devin Blaskovich, Golden Golden, Ira Lupu, Isaiah Winters, Jenica Heintzelman, Jennifer Teresa Villanueva, Jeremy Grier, Keisha Scarville, Kierra Branker, Lisa Elmaleh, Luis Corzo, Natalie Keyssar, Oji Haynes, Ramie Ahmed, Ramona Jingru Wang, Ryan Krueger, Ryan Frigillana, Shala Miller, Tam Stockton, Wesaam Al-Badry, Xi Li, Yael Malka and Zhidong Zhang.
Beginning in 2021, the fund provides financial support to talented photographers and lens-based artists at the formative stages of their careers.
For its second season, entrants submitted between eight and 10 pictures from a single body of work created in the past three years, with recipients chosen based on the “strength and originality” of the vision.
Brendan Embser, Senior Editor, Aperture commented on the announcement. He said: “Partnering with Google on the second edition of the Creator Labs Photo Fund embodies Aperture’s longstanding mission to support new voices in photography.
“The 30 selected artists bring us projects with a dynamic and wide range of approaches, including commentaries on photography’s documentary and archival potential, and intimate explorations of identity and community,” he continued.
“Aperture’s editorial team recognises critical rigour animating the work by each of these artists, reaffirming the role that images play in creating a dialogue with the past and envisioning new possibilities for the future.”
Here's an exclusive look at some of the winning entries:
For more information The Creator Labs Photo Fund, in association with Aperture and Google’s Creator Labs, click here.
Latest on Huck
Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims
Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Written by: Hannah Bentley
Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification
Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.
Written by: Isaac Muk
New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South
Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind
Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.
Written by: Emma Garland
Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Katie Goh
