Artes Mundi, the biennial international contemporary arts prize based in Wales, has announced its shortlist for its eighth incarnation.
The shortlist brings together 5 international contemporary artists who directly engage with everyday life through their practice and who explore contemporary social issues across the globe. The shortlist was selected from over 450 nominations spanning 86 countries.
The five shortlisted artists are:
Anna Boghiguian (Canada/Egypt)
Bouchra Khalili (Morocco/France)
Otobong Nkanga (Nigeria)
Trevor Paglen (USA)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)
Anna Boghiguian’s work was first shown in Catherine David’s Contemporary Arab Representations, beginning in 2003 in Rotterdam. Attracting much attention and acclaim, her drawings also stirred political debate and controversy, especially in her native Egypt. Bouchra Khalili’s recent video work “The Mapping Journey Project” has been exhibited internationally including a solo exhibition at MoMA, New York in 2016. Each of her projects can be seen as a platform offered to members of political minority to elaborate, narrate, and share strategies and discourses of resistance. Otobong Nkanga ‘s work “In Wetin You Go Do?” is part of the permanent collection at Tate Modern. Her work explores the social and topographical changes of her environment, observes their inherent complexities and understands how resources such as soil and earth, and their potential values, are subject to regional and cultural analysis. Trevor Paglen launched an artwork into distant orbit around Earth in collaboration with Creative Time and MIT in 2012. Paglen’s ongoing project investigates global state surveillance and the ethics of drone warfare. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s video installations and feature films have won him widespread recognition and numerous festival prizes, including two prizes from the Cannes Film Festival. Themes reflected in his films include dreams, nature, sexuality, and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia. Please see full biographies overleaf.
For more information on the artists and selectors you can visit the Artes Mundi website.
