Traces of Becoming

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Michael Hagen, Germany
• Date of Photograph
  June 2025
• Instagram
  @mhio_71

In Traces of Becoming, emergence and dissolution weave a dialogue of light, matter, and myth—an echo of my own path. The series moves inward and outward, beginning in quiet reflection, touching on time, resilience, and transience. It opens the gaze to shifting perspectives, letting one feel the gentle ache of hubris. From insight and surrender grows the choice not just to shape oneself, but to join a greater whole. In the end, the outer path turns inward, inviting pause, feeling, and the completion of becoming and fading through personal understanding.

In my work, I explore what I describe as the “Echoes of the Seen”—the emotional and intuitive resonance that visual impressions leave within us. Using simple tools such as a smartphone and accessible editing software, I transform photographs into intuitive visual interpretations of perception, memory, and inner states. Through layering, fragmentation, and manipulation, I investigate both the materiality of the photograph and the subtle shifts of attention it can evoke.

A central part of my current practice is translating these visual explorations into tactile artist books.

Awards Editorial Selections & Awards

LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026 – 2× Editors’ Pick.
LensCulture Critics’ Choice Awards 2026 – 1× Editors’ Pick.
IPA (International Photography Awards) 2025 – Official Selection & Honorable Mention.
FAPA (Fine Art Photography Awards) 2025/26 – Nominee (Multiple Works).
International Photography Honors (2025): Multiple Honorable Mentions and Official Selections across the PX3 Paris,
TIFA Tokyo, BIFA Budapest, ND Awards, and LICC (London International Creative Competition).

Exhibitions

Trieste Photo Days 2025 (IT): 10 artworks exhibited at Trieste Airport and ARCI Trieste, Italy.

Public Collections & Archives

The artist books VITA, Requiem, and Immersive have been acquired and accepted for permanent collections and research archives:

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Paris (FR) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (ES) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Klingspor Museum, Offenbach (DE) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Centre des livres d'artistes (CDLA), Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche (FR) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Instituto Moreira Salles, Biblioteca de Fotografia, São Paulo (BR) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Fondazione MAXXI - Biblioteca MAXXI, Rome (IT) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich (DE) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru (IN) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (NL) – [VITA, Requiem, Immersive]
• Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg (SE) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (DE) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Franklin Furnace Archive, New York (US) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Art- and Museum Library, Cologne (DE) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Saxon State and University Library (SLUB), Dresden (DE) – [VITA, Requiem]
• Salon für Kunstbuch, Vienna (AT) – Permanent Archive of Bernhard Cella – [VITA, Requiem]
• ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (DE) – [Immersive]
• Tate Britain, London