The artists nominated by

Laurence Rasti was born in 1990 to Iranian parents in Switzerland. She studied photography at ECAL – University of Art and Design Lausanne (BA, 2014) and fine arts at HEAD – Geneva University of Art and Design (MA, 2019). Her projects often explore issues surrounding identity, visibility, legitimacy and representation. Drawing from the duality of her own cultural background, she examines Swiss and Iranian cultural codes and conventions in order to understand the influence of gender roles in society. The consequences of migration or the non-respect of fundamental rights is another strong focus of many of her recent projects. Her book "There Are No Homosexuals in Iran" (Edition Patrick Frey, 2017) was shortlisted for the Paris Photo Aperture First Photobook Award, the Author Book Award of Rencontres d’Arles, and nominated as one of the 10 best photobooks of 2017 by the New York Times Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions around the world, including "ReGeneration3" at Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, "Disruptive Perspectives" at Museum of Contemporary in Chicago and Photoforum Pasquart in Biel, "Iran Contemporary" at Fotohof Art Gallery in Austria, and several festivals including PhotoKatmandu, Athens Photo Festival and Tokyo International Photography Festival. She was the laureate of the Photographic Survey of the City of Geneva in 2019, and of the Photographic Survey of Canton Neuchâtel in 2022.

Tim Rod is a Swiss artist based in Bern, Switzerland. He studied art education at HKB – Bern University of Applied Sciences (BA, 2018), art history at Bern University (Minor, 2019), photography at Vevey School of Photography (CEPV, ES diploma, 2021) and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Contemporary Arts Practice at HKB – Bern University of Applied Sciences. His work often explores issues related to exile and habitat, rootlessness and rootedness, as well as memory, identity, belonging and travelling. His own roots and family history are one of the central elements of his practice and his research, alongside collective visual culture. While his practice remains strongly rooted in photography, his works often expand into site-specific multimedia installations. His work has been exhibited since 2018 in Switzerland and internationally since 2021. Recent exhibitions include "L’Été sans fin" (Festival Images, Vevey, 2020), "Genesis" (Hackney Downs Studios, London, 2021), Charta Bookfestival (Rome, 2021), Photobook Award Encontros Da Imagem (Braga, Portugal, 2021), and the European Photobook Month (Hongkong, 2022). He has been nominated or shortlisted to several major Swiss and international awards. His project "Don’t forget the Knifish" was awarded the special mention of the near.prize 2021. The same year, he won the vfg Young Talent Award for Photography with the project "À demain inshallah".‍