Ali Tahayori: Finalist – National Photographic Portait Prize 2024

Congratulations to Ali Tahayori who has been selected as a finalist in the 2024 National Photographic Portrait Prize!

Entering its 17th year, the National Photographic Portrait Prize is one of the Gallery's most popular annual events. The prize provides a powerful visual record of the year that was - a celebration of identity, both collective and individual.

The 34 finalists for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2024 are:
Emma Armstrong-Porter | Andrew Babarczy | Madeline Bishop | Arini Byng | Saville Coble | Brenda L Croft | Dean Cross | Luke Currie-Richardson | J Davies | Justin Deng | Jo Duck | Amos Gebhardt | Rhett Hammerton | Prue Hazelgrove | Tamara Henderson | Naomi Hobson | Phoebe Kelly | (Nur) Aishah Kenton | Shea Kirk | Paul Knight | Katrin Koenning | Annabelle McEwen | Sammaneh Pourshafighi | Zoe Helene Karouzos | Tace Stevens | Ali Tahayori | Juliet Taylor | Daniel Temesgen | Wani Toaishara | Angela Tiatia | Tobias Titz | Garry Trinh | Meng-Yu Yan | Shelley Xue

Maman Simin, 2023
This is my maternal grandmother, Maman Simin. She died recently, and this is the last photograph I took of her before she passed away. The portrait also represents her as a personification of the nurturing and life-giving Mother Earth, the homeland, and all our ancestors. Looking at the image, I am reassured that she is in a good place, resting in the infinity, while praying for her children. The photograph was printed on clear glass, then broken by hand, and reassembled to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Ali Tahayori