2010 Infinity Award: Young Photographer

Raphaël Dallaporta, born in France in 1980, has in a short period of time garnered international acclaim for his thoughtful and engaging projects. In Dallaporta's Antipersonnel series, colorful and diversely shaped land mines are seductively captured against a black background. The initial impression of these objects belies their deadly function and is quickly dispelled as one reads the captions. Like entries in a manual, the practical features of each object are listed: dimension, weight, country of manufacture, method of detonation, and description of the resulting explosion. For his most recent work, Autopsy, Dallaporta set up his studio in a forensic pathology lab in France. As autopsies were performed, he was presented with body parts to photograph, which—as in Antipersonnel—he presents in life size. Their textures, shapes, and vibrant colors captivate the viewer. The accompanying text, however, reminds of the inescapable certainty of mortality, citing the clinical cause of death, accompanied by a more personal account of the context in which it occurred.