Debi Cornwall: Model Citizens

Jarringly juxtaposed images from apparently unrelated sites—such as US Border Patrol Academy training scenarios, “Save America” rallies, and history museums—illuminate systems that reconcile, justify, or distract from the harsh realities of life in a polarized, militarized society. The design accentuates slippages: images flow across French-fold page turns, just as Cornwall’s practice questions the role of documentary photography in an era of splintered realities. 

The Model Citizens project was awarded the 2023 Prix Elysée, a biennial juried prize for mid-career photographers, sponsored by the Photo Elysée Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The award also includes a grant for a concurrent publication in both English and French (Citoyens Modèles, Éditions Textuel, 2024). Both editions will be released to coincide with Les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles in July 2024.