Prix Pictet Storm, on view at the Museum of Contemporary Photography from May 29 to August 15, 2026, presents a compelling cross-section of contemporary photography responding to a world in flux. Established as one of the most influential photography awards of our time, the Prix Pictet has consistently foregrounded sustainability through visual culture. With Storm, its eleventh cycle, the exhibition confronts the accelerating volatility that defines the present moment, inviting viewers to consider photography as both witness and catalyst.
Storm operates on multiple registers. It names the visible violence of weather and climate disruption, while also standing in for political fracture, social unrest, and economic precarity. Across the exhibition, images trace the contours of upheaval and endurance, capturing moments where systems strain and lives are reshaped. These works do not merely document disaster; they probe the conditions that produce it, revealing how instability permeates landscapes, bodies, and collective memory.
The twelve shortlisted artists bring distinct geographic, cultural, and aesthetic perspectives to the theme. From large-scale visual meditations to intimate, quietly charged observations, their approaches reflect the breadth of contemporary photographic practice. Together, they form a polyphonic narrative in which storms are understood as cumulative forces—sometimes sudden and spectacular, sometimes slow and unseen. Within this tension, the exhibition allows space for ambiguity, resilience, and the possibility that disruption can also carry the seeds of change.
The cycle’s winner, Alfredo Jaar, was awarded for his series
The End (2025), a body of work that distills Storm into a stark reflection on endings, consequences, and responsibility. His contribution underscores the Prix Pictet’s long-standing commitment to art that engages ethically and intellectually with global crises. At MoCP,
Prix Pictet Storm becomes more than an exhibition; it is a pause for reflection, urging viewers to look closely at the forces shaping our shared future and to imagine what might follow after the storm passes.
Image:
Takashi Arai, 6 April 2013, Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 2013, from the series “Exposed in a Hundred Suns” © Takashi Arai