The third edition of Dior's Photography & Visual Arts Award for Young Talents went underway despite the pandemic. Participants came from some of the most prestigious photography schools, and a winner and 13 laureates have been chosen by the members of the judging panel, led by artist Viviane Sassen.
Visual artist Pamela Tulizo from the Democratic Republic of Congo is the the top winner, thanks to her series, "Double Identity". Pamela, who started out as a journalist, submitted 13 self-portraits depicting the dichotomy of African women's identity; between her very own and "the role she is given by a globalized society." It's something that all women around the world can all relate to, and at the same time, it's also uniquely Congo.
The photos were shot in Goma in the North Kivu region, whose people have been witnessing war, conflicts, violence and poverty throughout the years. The women, especially, have been the ones most affected by the "political, ecological and financial instability," and this is something that Pamela would like to convey in her winning series. At the same time, the women in the photographs refuse to be labelled as just "victims" and they are fighting for their future.
"For me, my series if a parallel projection of two existing realities, the reflection of either being myself or facing the situation of the present and the future," Pamela comments on her photographs.
See more from the series below:
