Five artists have been announced as finalists for Prix Canson 2016, including David Shrigley and Lucy Skaer. The other artists are ruby onyinyechi amanze (Nigeria), Bethany Collins (United States) and Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Nigeria).
Sponsored by the French art paper manufacturers Canson, the annual award is for artists who use paper in their practice. The winner of the award – which alternates between Paris and an international city every two years – will be announced on 21 June at The Drawing Center, New York, at the opening of a group exhibition showcasing works by all five finalists.
The prize includes at least one international solo exhibition or presentation at an art fair and up to 10,000 euros-worth of paper from Canson.
The award stipulates that the president of the jury must be an artist and for the second year running Brazilian artist Tunga heads the selection committee.
This year’s committee comprises Ian Alteveer, associate curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Bice Curiger, artistic director of the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation in Arles; Amanda Hunt, assistant curator of The Studio Museum, Harlem; and Brett Littman, director of the Drawing Centre, New York.
Based on a process of nomination by members of the jury and Canson, 40 artists are then invited to submit a 20-page application, from which the jury selects the five finalists and ultimately the winner.
Previous winners include Adrián Villar Rojas (2015) and Virginia Chihota (2013). As a result of his award, Simon Evans, the winner of the 2014 Prix Canson, is currently exhibiting work at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
“We want to support and promote contemporary artists who use paper in their work,” said Stéphane Hamelin, president of the Canson Fund for Art and Paper, adding that it is “important for Canson to be constantly involved with artists, to bring them extra support and visibility, and more generally to defend the role of art in society.”
The Prix Canson 2016 exhibition runs from 22 June – 1 July 2016 at the Drawing Center in New York
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1. Tunga, President of the Prix Canson 2016 Jury. Image courtesy of Prix Canson.
