2026 Award Recipient

Penumbra Foundation is very pleased to announce the recipient of the inaugural Susan McLaughlin Risograph Photobook Award. Established to recognize artists, printers, and publishers working with Risography, the Award received submissions from every continent. The Awardee along with shortlisted and featured publications are currently on view in Penumbra’s Exhibition Space through October.

Colour Theory

Max Pinckers, Victoria Gonzalez Figueras,
& Sébastien Girard

Colour Theory stands out for the way its use of Risograph is conceptually integral to the work. The project examines how color—particularly the celebrated red of Kodachrome—has shaped and potentially manipulated photographic representation. Through four-color Risograph printing, color becomes visibly constructed through layering, blending, density, and subtle variations. Offset printing might reproduce the original photographs more accurately, but Risograph makes us conscious of how photographic color is created and manipulated.

Another strength is that the book is more substantial and ambitious than a typical artist-made Riso publication, while its format remains simple and relatively undecorative. The production feels purposeful without becoming overly elaborate, giving the book a strong physical presence while keeping it approachable and accessible to a wider audience. – Miwa Susuda

Juried by Susan McLaughlin, Miwa Susuda, and Penumbra Foundation