The Special Prize went to Phoebe Boswell, a Kenyan native, living and working in the UK, who will receive $20,000 in support of a residency program.
Dineo Seshee Bopape (South Africa) mabu/mubu/mmu, 2017 Soil, ceramics, herbs, crystals, coal, ash, sound. Co-produced by PinchukArtCentre
The winners and shortlisted artists will take part in the Future Generation Art Prize@Venice group exhibition at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
Selected from more than 4,400 artists from 138 countries by an international Selection Committee, the 20 shortlisted include: Njideka Akunyili Crosby, 33 (Nigeria / United States), Iván Argote, 32 (Colombia / France), Firelei Báez, 35 (Dominican Republic / United States), Dineo Seshee Bopape, 35 (South Africa), Phoebe Boswell, 34 (Kenya / United Kingdom), Vivian Caccuri, 30 (Brazil), Sol Calero, 34 (Venezuela / Germany), Asli Çavuşoğlu, 34 (Turkey), Vajiko Chachkhiani, 31 (Georgia / Germany), Carla Chaim, 33 (Brazil), Christian Falsnaes, 35 (Denmark / Germany), EJ Hill, 31 (United States), Andy Holden, 34 (United Kingdom), Li Ran, 30 (China), Ibrahim Mahama, 29 (Ghana), Rebecca Moss, 25 (United Kingdom), Sasha Pirogova, 29 (Russia), Kameelah Janan Rasheed, 31 (United States), Martine Syms, 28 (United States), Kemang Wa Lehulere, 32 (South Africa), Open Group (Ukraine).
The international jury consisted, among others, of Nicholas Baume, director and chief curator at Public Art Fund, New York; Iwona Blazwick, director at Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; Björn Geldhof, artistic director at PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv and YARAT, Baku; Jérôme Sans, co-founder of Palais de Tokyo, Paris, and artistic director at Perfect Crossovers, Paris-Beijing. The international contemporary Art Prize was set up by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, to provide long-term support to a future generation of artists.
Founder Victor Pinchuk made a poignant statement at the ceremony: “Contemporary art is the space of freedom. It lets you be free. It even FORCES you to open up. This is so important. People in many countries are afraid. Politicians use this. Nations speak the language of threats. Contemporary art is the antidote.”
The previous edition in 2014, saw Nástio Mosquito (Angola) and Carlos Motta (Colombia) win the main prize, with Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (UK) winning in 2012.
Dineo Seshee Bopape’s work is currently on display at the Sharjah Biennial.
