Nadav Kander to receive Outstanding Contribution to Photography at 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

In a career spanning more than 30 years, the London photographer has remained a formidable force in the industry. His artistic practice stretches across the photographic medium, and his award-winning commercial, portraiture, figurative and landscape work is all underlined by a signature style which often evokes feelings of quiet and unease.

Living and working in London, Kander has released seven books and has been included in almost 30 international exhibitions. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship Award from the Royal Photographic Society, and his works are housed in multiple public collections worldwide including the National Portrait Gallery, London and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago.

The artist will be honoured at a London awards’ ceremony on 17 April for his versatility and significant impact on the medium of photography. He will also be celebrated at the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition, running from 18 April until 6 May at Somerset House, London.

The show will give us the rare opportunity to view seven varied bodies of Kander’s acclaimed and lesser-known works in one space, including portraiture, figure studies, landscapes and moving image.

To mark the opening of the exhibition, a public talk with Nadav Kander, interviewed by Bill Ewing, will be held on Thursday 18 April. The 2019 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards hardcover book will also include a newly commissioned essay on the artist’s work by David Campany and a special selection of photographs.

In accepting the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award, Kander joins past honorees including Candida Höfer, Martin Parr, Elliott Erwitt, William Klein, Eve Arnold and Mary Ellen Mark.

“This is a great accolade because it hints at one being an inspiration and I don't think there's a compliment greater than that," says Nadav Kander. "I feel honoured to be in the same company as the previous recipients and if I have inspired people to dig deeper and to photograph authentically then I'm doubly honoured."