Hope is a whisper

Winner of the 2025 Paris Photography Prize (PX3) in the Fine Art/Nude category, South African artist Liezl Zwarts unveils a new series of work,
HOPE IS A WHISPER, presented in Paris for her first European solo exhibition, alongside Paris Photo Week.

The exhibition draws its central metaphor from kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold. A philosophy that sees breakage not as the end of beauty, but as the beginning of transformation. The artist weaves gold threads onto her photographs printed on linen canvases; scars are illuminated, and what was once shattered becomes more radiant than before. Through her lens, Zwarts photographs women whose cracks reveal strength, turning fragility into testimony and imperfection into brilliance.

HOPE IS A WHISPER is for those who have stood at the edge of despair, a reminder that hope is not always visible, but it is always present. Stitched into every fracture, waiting to be noticed. The work does not seek to erase pain but to honor it, revealing the strength that emerges from quiet perseverance.

The exhibition marks a significant moment in Zwarts’ evolving fine art career, following more than a decade of acclaimed work in the commercial photography industry. Zwarts began her career in New York City, working under celebrated photographers such as Sante D’Orazio and Jason Kibbler, with whom she spent four years refining her craft. Now, she turns her lens inward, reimagining the boundaries between vulnerability and strength through her nuanced interpretation of the nude figure. Her work is deeply rooted in personal experience, exploring resilience, transformation, and the quiet power of hope.

This year, Zwarts received Gold in the Fine Art/Nude category at Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3), a recognition of her artistry and emotional depth. She will also take part in the ART ICON group show presented alongside Paris Photo.