Susan Meiselas is announced as the recipient of the
prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Photography of the
Sony World Photography Awards
2025, in recognition of her impact on the medium over the past five decades.
Celebrated for her deeply engaged approach, Meiselas has created a powerful
corpus of work, expanding perceptions of documentary photography through her
insightful portrayals of people in their communities. Meiselas is well known for
depicting the stories of women: from girls growing up in Little Italy, New York; to
strippers performing in state fairs; to women escaping domestic violence in the UK,
and for her work documenting human rights issues in Latin America, as well as
compiling a photographic history of Kurdistan. Her photographic essays, rooted in
place, share the lives and experiences of those in front of her lens. Taken over
extended periods—often accompanied by field notes and participant
testimonies—Meiselas’s projects invite collaboration
Excerpts of five projects by Meiselas will be on view at London’s Somerset House (17
April - 5 May 2025), including projects never exhibited before in the UK. Drawing from
her earliest bodies of work, 44 Irving Street, Prince Street Girls and Carnival Strippers, to
her later projects Pandora’s Box and A Room of their Own, the exhibition traces
recurring thematic elements Meiselas has cultivated in her practice, focussing on
what is often hidden from public view.
Dee and Lisa on Mott Street, Little Italy, New York City, 1976 © Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos
The series presented at Somerset House chronicle the interpersonal relationships and
her exchanges over time. In 44 Irving Street (1971), Meiselas invited neighbours in her
boarding house to write about the differences they found between how they saw
themselves and what was revealed in the portraits that she made of them. Prince
Street Girls, (1975 - 1990), records the dynamics of a group of young girls growing up in
Little Italy, tracing their evolution to adulthood.
Carnival Strippers (1972-75) documents the onstage and offstage experiences of
women doing striptease at small-town carnivals across New England, capturing both
their performative and private lives, counter-balanced with a collage of voices of all
the participants, from the girl show manager to the women on stage and the men in
the audience. The immersive projection, Pandora’s Box (1995), focuses on a New York
City S&M club known as ‘a Disneyland of Domination.’ In A Room of Their Own
(2015-2017), Meiselas turns her lens towards a women’s refuge in the Black Country, UK.
She combines photographs of resident’s rooms with testimonies and original artworks
generated by survivors that both express and protect their identities.
Born in Baltimore, USA, in 1948, Susan Meiselas completed her MA in visual education at
Harvard University before working as a teacher. She began photographing during
school summer breaks, creating her first project Carnival Strippers in the summers of
1972-75. She joined Magnum Photos in 1976 and has gone on to produce several
significant bodies of work. Her photographs of the revolution in Nicaragua in the late
1970s still remain vivid in the public imagination years later
Roseann on the way to Manhattan Beach, New York City, 1978 © Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos
Commenting on her acceptance of the award, Susan Meiselas says: ’I am honoured
to receive this Award for my contribution to the ever-expanding world of
photography. Over the past 50 years, I have had the privilege of witnessing history
being made, sharing the often unseen lives of those engaged in its making. The work
on display invites reflection not only on the photographs themselves but also on the
relationships that shaped and inspired them.’
The Outstanding Contribution to Photography honours the voices behind the most
groundbreaking photographic work of our time. As its 18th recipient, Susan Meiselas
joins a distinguished list of names including Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017),
Graciela Iturbide (2021), Edward Burtynsky (2022) and Sebastião Salgado (2024).
The series presented at Somerset House chronicle the interpersonal relationships and
her exchanges over time. In 44 Irving Street (1971), Meiselas invited neighbours in her
boarding house to write about the differences they found between how they saw
themselves and what was revealed in the portraits that she made of them. Prince
Street Girls, (1975 - 1990), records the dynamics of a group of young girls growing up in
Little Italy, tracing their evolution to adulthood.
Carnival Strippers (1972-75) documents the onstage and offstage experiences of
women doing striptease at small-town carnivals across New England, capturing both
their performative and private lives, counter-balanced with a collage of voices of all
the participants, from the girl show manager to the women on stage and the men in
the audience. The immersive projection, Pandora’s Box (1995), focuses on a New York
City S&M club known as ‘a Disneyland of Domination.’ In A Room of Their Own
(2015-2017), Meiselas turns her lens towards a women’s refuge in the Black Country, UK.
She combines photographs of resident’s rooms with testimonies and original artworks
generated by survivors that both express and protect their identities.
The Star, Tunbridge, Vermont, 1975 © Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos
Born in Baltimore, USA, in 1948, Susan Meiselas completed her MA in visual education at
Harvard University before working as a teacher. She began photographing during
school summer breaks, creating her first project Carnival Strippers in the summers of
1972-75. She joined Magnum Photos in 1976 and has gone on to produce several
significant bodies of work. Her photographs of the revolution in Nicaragua in the late
1970s still remain vivid in the public imagination years later.
Commenting on her acceptance of the award, Susan Meiselas says: ’I am honoured
to receive this Award for my contribution to the ever-expanding world of
photography. Over the past 50 years, I have had the privilege of witnessing history
being made, sharing the often unseen lives of those engaged in its making. The work
on display invites reflection not only on the photographs themselves but also on the
relationships that shaped and inspired them.’
The Outstanding Contribution to Photography honours the voices behind the most
groundbreaking photographic work of our time. As its 18th recipient, Susan Meiselas
joins a distinguished list of names including Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017),
Graciela Iturbide (2021), Edward Burtynsky (2022) and Sebastião Salgado (2024).
Meiselas will be presented with her Award at the annual gala ceremony in London on
16 April 2025, during an evening of celebrations for the overall winners of the Sony
World Photography Awards 2025.
