Véronique Rolland is an artist whose work in still and moving image centres on our relationship with nature and the environment. Her work has been widely exhibited and acquired by major international collections including the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and Pompidou Centre, Paris.
Rolland began her career as a portrait photographer, undertaking editorial assignments for titles including the Sunday Times Magazine, the Guardian and the Independent, moving towards fine art projects in the early 2000s.
I found the level of entries very high in this year’s competition which made creating a shortlist of just 10 in each category very difficult.
In particular, I was looking out for images that go beyond the ‘classic cycling image’ we are accustomed to; images that would tell the story of the ongoing evolution of the sport. I judged the entries over several days and the same images kept standing out because of their meanings and emotions.
I was very happy to see that many photographs were about kindness and human connection, not only the competitive aspect often associated with cycling.
Here is my shortlist for The Mark Gunter Photo Awards 2022:
Cover image by Suzan Debuysere @suzandbsr in the amateur category:
“What a year for Lotte! It won’t be easy to do better in 2023, but I really hope she will! I took this one after her great win at ‘De Ronde”
Professional category:
Anouk Flesch @anoukflesch
“The second edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes. For many riders, getting a picture in the iconic showers in Roubaix is just as important as a picture of them during the race itself. Here is Flora Perkins (Lifeplus-Wahoo) after her first Paris-Roubaix participation.”
Aleksandra Sulikowska @olasulikowska1
“The power of sight. Jolanda Neff always has time for her fans. I adore the way this girl is looking at her. Pure admiration.”
Lian van Leeuwen @saltlake_lian
“Larger than life. Team AMANI’s team captain Sule Kangangi (leading out his teammate @sjord5an_schleck in the image) tragically lost his life after crashing at high speed during a race in Vermont in August 2022. Gaping holes are left when giant’s fall. Sule was a giant. But the memory of Sule, and the path he set out together with Team AMANI to create equal opportunities for East African cyclists has only become clearer over the last few months. It’s time to change the face of cycling.”
Eloise Mavian @eloisemavian