Artists and photographers have always played with perception. They use cropping, extreme close-ups, motion blur, unusual lighting and digital manipulation to dissolve recognisable subjects into simple colour, texture and form. Practitioners throughout the 20^th century, from Man Ray and László Moholy-Nagy to Wolfgang Tillmans and Barbara Kasten, expand the medium’s traditional role as recording of reality. In this round-up, we spotlight five artists longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize, who join this illustrious list. Each one plays with materials and form to create mesmerising scenes of abstraction. 

David Parfitt is a London-based photographer whose commercial portfolio includes collaborations with Dior, Estée Lauder and Condé Nast. Alongside this, his still-life practice draws attention to the understated beauty of everyday objects, bringing to light intricate patterns and textures that often go unnoticed. Beginning with a blank canvas, Parfitt allows light, colour and composition to guide the development of each piece. His images encourage viewers to slow down and engage with the subtle nuances of the familiar.

This conceptual photography draws on minimalism and contemporary art to transform everyday reality. The artist’s work focuses on the elemental qualities of colour, with a particular emphasis on blue, alongside recurring motifs like the horizon and square format. Embracing themes of timelessness and infinity, his practice creates a visual language that transcends conventional boundaries, inviting contemplation on perception, space and the endless possibilities within photography.

Tommy Goguely is a French contemporary artist based in Paris who redefines photography through experimental techniques and conceptual approaches. His work engages deeply with the history of the medium, whilst critically exploring the materiality of digital images. By disrupting traditional picture-making processes and reinterpreting visual codes, he investigates the digital transition and how it has transformed the structures, limitations and continuity of photography.

Vietnam-born, Madrid-based artist Viet Ha Tran has collaborated with Amazon, Louis Vuitton and Samsung, and her work has been featured by major global media outlets. Viet Ha Tran’s photography often centres on vast landscapes and delicate ecosystems. Her recent work displays a profound connection to the natural world, emphasising themes of sustainability and environmental awareness. She is the first foreign Board Member of Spain’s Royal Photographic Society in its 125-year history. 

David Pereira is a London-based artist who uses light as his primary medium, embracing chance as a central element in his creative process and allowing the unforeseen to take shape. In his cameraless series Colour Correspondence, he approaches colour from a synthetic perspective, using a custom machine-learning model to generate light, which is then captured on photosensitive paper in the colour darkroom. The model begins by randomly generating an initial colour, from which a second, corresponding colour is selected.

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Words: Emma Jacob

The Aesthetica Art Prize is open for entries. Submit your work. Deadline 31 August.

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Image Credits:

1. Image courtesy of Tommy Goguely.
2. Image courtesy of David Parfitt.
3. Image courtesy of David Parfitt.
4. Image courtesy of Jean Paul Soujol Benedetti.
5. Image courtesy of Tommy Goguely.
6. Image courtesy of Tommy Goguely.
7. Image courtesy of Viet Ha Tran.
8. Image courtesy of David Pereira.
9. Image courtesy of David Pereira.