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Breathe

Breathe tells my story of living with stage IV cancer. It explores fear, resilience, and survival while reframing how society perceives cancer patients—challenging stereotypes through dark, intimate images of identity and the human condition.

Awards

Art of Storytelling Contest

2025

Honorable Mention

Conceptual/Abstract

Professional

Breathe

Breathe tells my story of living with stage IV cancer. It explores fear, resilience, and survival while reframing how society perceives cancer patients—challenging stereotypes through dark, intimate images of identity and the human condition.

About Artist

Ben Battersby

Benjamin Battersby is a British photographer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born in London in 1972, he spent over three decades working as a cinematographer and Director of Photography before turning to still photography following a life-changing health event. In 2024, after a devastating diagnosis defied prognosis, Battersby found himself alive—not cured, but no longer in immediate danger. That unexpected reprieve became the catalyst for BREATHE, an ongoing project examining survival, chronic uncertainty, and the reclamation of self. Working completely alone, he creates images that are emotional states rather than medical records—inviting viewers to find their own experiences of vulnerability and resilience within the work. His photographs draw on cinematic language and autobiography to explore place, memory, and transition. The work has received international recognition, including Gold and Second Place at PX3 Paris, Silver at the NYC Photography Awards, an Honorable Mention at IPA Athens, shortlist selection for the 2024 Salón Nacional de Artes Visuales in Argentina, and inclusion in the Worlds in View exhibition at Profifoto during Arles Pro Photo Week. Battersby's practice centres on staged, constructed images that speak to the messy reality of survival—not as testimony or outcome, but as ongoing negotiation. He believes in photography not as spectacle, but as intimacy, truth, and generosity. He lives in Buenos Aires with his wife and children. —Benjamin Battersby

Ben Battersby

Photographic Areas of Focus

Landscapes, Nature, People, People, Portrait

Location

Argentina

Explore Other Winners

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Honorable Mention
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Wensen Wang

Wensen Wang

Conceptual/Abstract

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Mikael Aldo

Mikael Aldo

Conceptual/Abstract

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Andrea Guedella

Andrea Guedella

Conceptual/Abstract

Honorable Mention
Nominee
Diana Cheren Nygren

Diana Cheren Nygren

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