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Sunflowers & the Anthropocene

Indigenous to North America, carried to Europe by colonialists, adopted in Russia after the Orthodox Church omitted it from banned Lenten oils. This series traces the sunflower between Ukraine and the U.S. — the value of life, the individual, the state, and our shared pull toward the sun.

Awards

Color Photography Contest

2026

Honorable Mentions

Still Life

Professional

Sunflowers & the Anthropocene

Indigenous to North America, carried to Europe by colonialists, adopted in Russia after the Orthodox Church omitted it from banned Lenten oils. This series traces the sunflower between Ukraine and the U.S. — the value of life, the individual, the state, and our shared pull toward the sun.

About Artist

Baz Here

az Here is a queer multidisciplinary artist based in Downtown Los Angeles — a fine-art photographer, musician, and educator interested in the sound current and its effect on visual aesthetics. Through self-portraiture, the work questions perceptions of race (white privilege specifically, in White on White) and queer identity politics. Raised in the Christian faith, it also turns on sex, sexuality, and religious iconography (The Temptation of St. Baz, Tender Feelings), replacing saints and saviors with symbols of gay sex culture. Work has been exhibited at The Hive (Featured Resident Artist, DTLA), the Getty Center, Gallery 825, Gallerie Sparta, LACDA, Beyond Baroque, Art Share LA, and the Advocate and Gochis Galleries at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and has been featured in The Advocate and Cultural Weekly. Baz holds an MFA from the Photo Arts Conservatory at the New York Film Academy and is currently a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies (Museum Studies concentration) at Claremont Graduate University. He teaches in the photography departments at Santa Monica College, UCLA Extension, College of the Canyons, and the New York Film Academy, and is Creative Director of Bambaz Press. Acquisition, press, and academic enquiries are all welcome. Studio visits by appointment, DTLA.

Baz Here

Photographic Areas of Focus

Fashion & Beauty, Film/Analog, Nude, People, Portrait, Still Life

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Honorable Mentions
John Goossens

John Goossens

Still Life

Bronze
Connie Chan

Connie Chan

Still Life

Nominees +2
Yiti Tsai

Yiti Tsai

Conceptual

Silver
Daniel Christie

Daniel Christie

Still Life

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