“I guess you could say I’m like a film director but my movies have only one frame.” These are the words of Jeff Wall, one of the 20th century’s most influential photographers. His images synthesise the essentials of camerawork with elements of other artforms, including painting, cinema and literature. The result is elaborate and detailed pieces that look as though they have been plucked from the big screen, telling a complete narrative in a single still. They invite the viewer in, prompting them to question the story they’re seeing. There’s a whole group of contemporary artists who pursue this distinct visual language, think Todd Hido, Gregory Crewdson or Holly Andres. These five artists, all longlisted for the 2025 Aesthetica Art Prize, join this illustrious list, creating works that play with moody lighting and intentional composition to create something that goes beyond the bounds of traditional photography.

Nashville-based Chrissy Lush captures subtle gestures and charged spaces. Her work intertwines physical performance and symbolism to probe subconscious forces shaping connection, vulnerability and detachment. Everyday moments – like droplets of water or exchanged cassettes – become vessels of hidden tension. Lush’s images reveal unseen emotional layers beneath ordinary scenes, inviting viewers to unravel narratives woven through subtle visual cues and explore the complexities of human relationships.

Diego Fabro is a Brazilian fine art photographer based in Ireland, whose work navigates the shifting terrain of home, memory and time. Positioned between two cultures, he uses light and colour to heighten the emotional resonance of everyday moments. His constructed scenes carry a quiet intensity, where familiar settings unfold with layered intimacy and subtle tension. Fabro reflects on identity and belonging, inviting viewers to contemplate the emotional geographies that define what it means to feel at home.

Miller is an award-winning French photographer based in London whose work merges vintage aesthetics with vibrant colour and cinematic sensibility. She crafts visual narratives that delve into the complexities of the female psyche. Her images explore identity, self-perception and the portrayal of women in today’s visual culture. Miller reveals the hidden layers beneath societal expectations, offering a rich, emotionally resonant commentary on how women are seen – and how they see themselves.

The human psyche and our modern society within staged come to the fore in Agnew’s work, often within dreamlike sceneries that captivate the viewer. Disorientation, search for meaning and self reflection are recurring themes within this conceptual body of work. His images are strongly characterised by elaborate set design, cinematic lighting and carefully arranged composition. In order to create his surreal settings, Agnew transforms already existing rooms or builds his locations completely as miniature sets.

Meg Mosley creates emotional landscapes through a diverse artistic practice that blends video, performance and photography. With meticulous attention to set design and costume styling, she crafts narratives that explore societal norms surrounding the female experience. Semi-detached features the artist as a solitary figure navigating domestic life in a recently vacated 1960s semi-detached home, highlighting themes of isolation, memory and identity within familiar, yet shifting, environments.

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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. The Beauty Clock, Elisa Miller.
2. Final Pearl, Chrissy Lush.
3. Front Garden, Diego Fabro.
4. Cigarette for Breakfast, Elisa Miller.
5. Fairy Lights, Set Agnew.
6. Semi-detached no. 1, Meg Mosley.