Annelies Damen wins the Collector.Chain Prize, Art Defender’s photography award
March 24, 2026
We are extremely proud to announce that Dutch photographer Annelies Damen won The Collector.Chain Prize, Art Defender’s photography award in Milan during Mia Photo Fair BNP ParisBas on March 20. The jury composed of Cristina López Triana, Luisa Pavia, and Pierluigi Gibelli, chaired by Walter Guadagnini, awarded Annelies Damen’s photograph, Veil of Green, Longing for Lamu (2025).
“Annelies Damen’s photograph,” declared the jury president, “envisions a harmony that is still possible between the natural and the human element, in a composition characterized by a happiness that arises as much from the color scheme as from the face peeking out from the leaf in the foreground. It is an image that, in its essentiality, becomes a vehicle for a positivity that the jury recognized as a value: the ability to constitute a pause in the often troubled flow of contemporary life.”
Through its participation in MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, Art Defender expresses and consolidates its vision: to support photography not only as an artistic language, but as a living cultural heritage. It also concretely supports the art network by acting on multiple levels, connecting all its protagonists. “The inclusion of The Collectors.Chain Prize within the fair’s awards system has strengthened this synergy,” reveals a statement from Art Defender, “contributing to enriching an already solid and dynamic ecosystem, geared towards the discovery, promotion, and support of photographic research.”
At Art Defender, we believe that valorizing, protecting, and promoting photography means, first and foremost, recognizing its cultural and historical value, supporting practices that ensure its preservation and transmission over time. This is why we are committed to actively supporting contemporary research, encouraging quality, consistency, and innovation, and helping to build a bridge between memory and new visions of photography.”