TALK MIT BYRON SMITH & FREDERIC LEZMI

Frederic Lezmi is a photographer, designer and photo book curator. He is the artistic director of the PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne, which he founded together with Markus Schaden in 2014. The PhotoBookMuseum took over the former Kassel Dummy Award in 2023 and continues the international competition for the best unpublished photo book dummies of the year as the Dummy Award.

Lezmi introduces the Dummy Award and talks to Byron Smith about his impressive debut monograph Testament '22. Smith's photo book documents his 10,000-mile odyssey through Ukraine in the first year after the country was invaded by Russia. Inspired by Taras Shevchenko's literary legacy, Smith paints an intimate yet complex portrait of a nation at war. His unflinching, award-winning images bear witness to the harrowing human toll - grieving mothers, devastated communities amidst ruins - while celebrating Ukraine's indomitable spirit that continues to withstand unspeakable tragedy to this day.

Byron Smith is an American freelance photographer and part of the VII Photo Agency's 2023-2024 mentorship program. His work has been published in numerous prestigious publications including The New York Times, Getty Images, CNN, Le Monde, Libération, The Guardian, Der Spiegel and The Wall Street Journal. Smith's work has been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships.

Byron Smith's work is part of the exhibition NEW DYNAMICS Transforming Diversity.