Prix Pictet 2025: Alfredo Jaar Wins with Haunting Photography Series “The End” on Sustainability
Prix Pictet 2025: Chilean Artist Alfredo Jaar Wins Prestigious Photography and Sustainability Award
In a world where art and environmental activism increasingly intersect, the **Prix Pictet** stands out as one of the most unique awards. Celebrating photography that addresses issues of sustainability, the award is unlike most accolades — it has no real losers. Every nominee contributes to a conversation that matters deeply for the future of the planet. This year, the prize goes to Chilean artist **Alfredo Jaar** for his haunting series *The End*, a body of work that the jury called a “clear warning of things to come.”
A Prize with a Purpose
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Founded in 2008 by Swiss financier and philanthropist *Nicolas Pictet*, the Prix Pictet aims to spotlight photography as a medium for raising awareness of global sustainability challenges. Each cycle of the award focuses on a theme — from water and power to consumption and disorder. Past winners have explored topics such as climate change, migration, and inequality, using photography to provoke thought and inspire action.
The theme for 2025, *Hope*, sought to explore how photography can illuminate paths toward a sustainable future. Among the entries, Alfredo Jaar’s *The End* stood out not only for its striking visual power but also for the urgent environmental message it carried.
The End: A Haunting Warning
Alfredo Jaar is no stranger to combining art with activism. Over decades, he has created works that tackle pressing social and environmental issues — from political violence to human displacement. His latest series focuses on a single subject: the **Great Salt Lake** in Utah, USA.
Jaar’s photographs depict an eerie, otherworldly landscape, stripped of its vitality. The lake, once the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, is now shrinking at an alarming rate due to excessive water extraction and climate change. Scientists have described the situation as an *“environmental nuclear bomb”*, a warning of cascading ecological collapse.
Through *The End*, Jaar captures the lake’s transformation into an almost alien terrain — cracked salt flats, fading shorelines, and distorted reflections under a pale sky. These images go beyond simple documentation; they are poetic yet urgent calls to action, transforming an environmental crisis into a visual testament to human responsibility.
Why This Matters
The Great Salt Lake is more than a body of water. It is a fragile ecosystem, home to millions of migratory birds, a critical resource for local communities, and a symbol of the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. Its destruction speaks to larger patterns of environmental degradation caused by overconsumption and poor resource management worldwide.
By focusing on this single location, Jaar transforms a regional crisis into a global cautionary tale. His work is not only an aesthetic achievement but also a moral one. *The End* forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about how human activity shapes — and often devastates — the natural world.
The Jury’s Perspective
The Prix Pictet jury praised Jaar’s work for its emotional and conceptual depth. In their statement, they said:
"The End is more than a photographic series — it is a visual manifesto. Jaar’s work captures the fragility of our planet in a way that is both beautiful and deeply disturbing. It stands as a clear warning of things to come if we fail to change course."
The jury’s choice underscores the Prix Pictet’s commitment to photography that not only documents but also challenges, inspires, and motivates change. Jaar’s series fits squarely within that mission.
Photography as a Force for Change
The Prix Pictet is part of a growing recognition that art can be a powerful tool in the fight for sustainability. Unlike scientific reports or policy documents, photography has the capacity to connect emotionally with people. It can transform abstract concepts into visceral experiences that linger in memory and spur action.
Alfredo Jaar’s work exemplifies this potential. His images of the Great Salt Lake are not just beautiful compositions; they are urgent messages about the consequences of neglect and exploitation. They invite reflection, dialogue, and a reconsideration of our relationship with nature.
The Broader Impact
Winning the Prix Pictet will bring The End to a global audience. The award includes a touring exhibition and a book publication, ensuring that Jaar’s haunting images reach audiences far beyond art galleries. This amplifies the conversation around the environmental crisis facing the Great Salt Lake and, by extension, similar ecosystems worldwide.
It is a reminder that sustainability is not a distant problem — it is here, now, and it demands attention. Jaar’s work asks a fundamental question: How will we answer the call?
Looking Ahead
The Prix Pictet continues to prove that photography is not just art — it is activism. By celebrating works that combine aesthetic excellence with social relevance, the award fosters a deeper public understanding of sustainability issues.
Alfredo Jaar’s *The End* stands as a testament to the power of art to illuminate critical truths. In portraying the decline of the Great Salt Lake, Jaar is not only documenting an environmental crisis — he is issuing a warning to humanity. It is a warning that resonates far beyond Utah, speaking to the urgent need to rethink how we live, consume, and preserve the planet for future generations.
Final Thoughts
The Prix Pictet 2025 reminds us that art can be a force for change. Alfredo Jaar’s *The End* transforms a shrinking lake into a profound symbol of what is at stake for our planet. His work challenges us to confront uncomfortable realities and to imagine a different future. In an age where environmental crises demand bold action, Jaar’s haunting imagery offers not just a warning — but also a call to hope, awareness, and responsibility.
conclusion
Alfredo Jaar’s The End is far more than a remarkable photographic series — it is a profound statement on the power of art to confront the most urgent crises of our time. His Prix Pictet 2025 win underscores how photography can transcend aesthetics to become a moral force, transforming awareness into responsibility. Through his haunting portrayal of the Great Salt Lake, Jaar not only documents environmental devastation but also issues a universal warning about the fragility of our planet and the consequences of inaction.
This work challenges us to look beyond the image, to question how our choices affect the natural world, and to reflect on the legacy we leave behind. It is both a lament and a call to action, urging society to act decisively before warnings become irreversible reality. Jaar’s achievement reminds us that art has the capacity not only to capture beauty but also to provoke conscience, inspire change, and shape the future.
The Prix Pictet 2025, through this recognition, sends a clear message: the fight for sustainability requires both awareness and action. Jaar’s work invites us all to confront uncomfortable truths, to move beyond passive observation, and to commit ourselves to safeguarding the planet. In doing so, The End becomes not just a series of photographs but a lasting testament — a call to ensure that humanity’s story does not truly reach its end.
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Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar wins Prix Pictet 2025 for “The End,” a haunting photography series warning of environmental collapse and the need for urgent action.