ING Unseen Instagram winner announced
19 December 2018
British photographer Tom Pope’s Brexit-inspired ‘selfie’ has been chosen as the winner of this year’s ING Unseen Instagram competition.
A spin-off of the ING Unseen Talent Award, the Instagram competition opens it up to a far larger pool of photography talents who could send in their interpretations of this year’s theme ‘New Horizons: exploring the promise and perils of the future’.
Tom Pope’s winning image for the ING Unseen Instagram competition
Pope’s winning image is inspired by Britain’s impending exit from the European Union. He created a cyanotype – a photographic finish that produces a blue print – with hashtags like #selfportrait #primeminister and the description ‘This May Be Your End’.
It was chosen from more than 550 entries by Sanne ten Brink, head curator of the ING Collection, and Emilia van Lynden, Unseen’s artistic director.
The jury said: “With the precise nature and consequences of the UK's departure from the European Union still unclear, Pope's cyanotype depicts those with the power to shape the future – both Theresa May and the artist himself – whilst making use of a photographic process rooted firmly in the past.”
Successful second edition
This was the second edition of the ING Unseen Instagram competition. It ran from 14-27 November and attracted even more submissions than last year. In total 550 photographers and Instragrammers from around the world, opposed to 450 in 2017, sent in their representations of the future and what it holds.
Thirty-two-year-old Pope is a professional photographer who lives and works in London. For his prize he can choose either a trip for two to the Unseen Amsterdam 2019 photography festival or a €1,000 voucher to spend at an online photography store.
Scroll through all submitted photos on Instagram.
ING and art
Although art and banking may seem far removed, ING has been active in the art world for almost 45 years as a collector, exhibitor and sponsor, for example of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. ING sees an important role for artists in society with their often provocative and insightful perspectives. Like the bank itself, the ING Collection aims to foster a culture of innovation and change. One of the pillars of ING Art Management is to encourage new and upcoming talent through partnerships like the ING Unseen Talent Award and CREATIS, which backs creative entrepreneurs in Belgium.
