Ten photographers demonstrate the raw and resonant power of instant photography

Indisputably some of photography’s most iconic names, Polaroid and Magnum Photos have partnered in the name of instant photography, celebrating its spontaneity and the next generation of creatives behind the camera. Following a collaborative open call to emerging photographers, the Polaroid and Magnum sifted through over 2000 submissions from across the world to reach their ten winners: Jakub Stanek, Jaír Fernando Coll, Maria Beatriz de Vilhena, Mengwen Cao, D. M. Terblanche, Mohamed Hassan, Stefan Pavic, Aleruchi Kinika, Natela Grigalashvili, Jed Bacason.

Once selected, each artist received mentorship from prominent Magnum photographers Enri Canaj, Jim Goldberg, and Newsha Tavakolian, pushing them to challenge, interrogate and refine the creative narratives behind their work and expand upon their practice. With themes ranging from fatherhood and gender roles, to distance from home and local economic decline, the mentors helped the winning photographers see beyond technical perfection, urging them to embrace the ‘flaws’ of their stories and their medium – that being Polaroid’s I-2 camera. 

The ten winners and their work are set to showcase at the upcoming Paris Photo Fair, in an exhibition titled Real Life is Not Black and White, presenting a window into the perfectly imperfect world of instant photography, and the candour and authenticity it can foster. 

Jaír Fernando Coll, from Colombia, continues his seven-year documentation of Samara, a girl living with Zika-related microcephaly, this time adding her family’s intervention – scratches and drawings – to black-and-white Polaroid photos, illustrating their collective love and resilience.

Mengwen Cao transforms the process of saying goodbye into a tender, collaborative farewell, creating portraits embroidered with affirmations from their friends from Chinese diaspora, honouring the relationships built during their time in New York.

Polish photographer Jakub Stanek turns the lens on fatherhood, challenging traditional perceptions of masculinity within the context of his own relationship with his son, resulting in a tender, ongoing narrative. “This is the story of my struggle for love,” he says, encapsulating the personal nature of his project.

“This is a project about identity, memory and the geography in between,” Maria Beatriz de Vilhena says, with her series documenting a return to her family’s ancestral lands in Portugal, exploring the complex intersection of time and place.

Jed Bacason bridges emotional and geographical distances in his Love Mum project, capturing Filipino mothers in Dubai as they write letters to their children back home, offering an intimate portrayal of diaspora and motherhood.

Mohamed Hassan’s Witnessing Wales is a wandering and wondering, reflective journey through Welsh landscapes and communities, blending portraits and bucolic scenes to present an allegory of belonging and identity within the broader story of modern Wales.

Kosovo-based Stefan Pavic captures the quiet resilience of Kosovo Serbs and Albanians in the aftermath of conflict, highlighting moments of unity and strength, documenting a glimpse into their enduring hope for peace.

Natela Grigalashvili focuses her work on the industrial town of Chiatura, Georgia, documenting the lives of miners and residents dealing with economic decline and environmental degradation – it’s an unflinching look at a community shaped by its industrial past.

Aleruchi Kinika’s portraits explore the nuances of womanhood in Nigeria, using pensive tableaus to capture women in their roles as mothers, friends, and individuals, infusing each image with both the joy and the weight of these identities.

D. M. Terblanche delves into the introspective world of living with late-diagnosed autism, using self-portraiture to explore the loneliness and miscommunication that often accompanies the condition, while equally celebrating the self-discovery that comes with understanding.

Across the body of work, it’s easy to admire and celebrate photography’s role in telling human stories, but it’s even more telling to recognise the impact that instant photography can have – calling on something deep-rooted and intrinsically familiar; a nostalgic connection to stories that aren’t our own. The ten artists have each utilised this bond alongside the imperfections of instant photography to create work that is raw and resonant. 

These stories will now travel to the Paris Photo Fair as part of Magnum Photo mentors from 7-10 November at the Grand Palais (booth P06). They are also digitally exhibited on polaroid.com.