The prize has been awarded annually for 20 years and is now viewed as one of the major art prizes worldwide. The focus is on contemporary artists with proximity to the French art scene, who have distinguished themselves to a particular extent through innovation. The aim is to create a worldwide stage for the artists through the prize. The award ceremony will take place on October 18.
The nominees were already announced in January 2021, so they could produce projects specifically for this exhibition. Lili Reynaud Dewar, who works primarily in sculpture, performance and video, will present a video installation about the last days of director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was murdered in 1975. Friends and family members talk about Pasolini and his murder, which has not been fully solved to this day. Nominee Julien Creuzet also dedicates his project to a person: linguistic philosopher and jazz musician Jacques Coursil, who died in 2020. Creuzet composes environments of sculpture, video and audio in conjunction with found objects.
Isabelle Cornaro takes a different approach, continuing the exploration of the relationship of people to objects that is typical of her work. In installations, paintings, and videos, she critically examines the impact of mass-produced goods on individuals and society, emotionally shaped by rejection and desire of consumer goods. Swiss artist Julian Charrière, whose work primarily includes installation, photography, and performance, also has a shot at the prize. His project for this exhibition deals with the element carbon, which occurs not only in pure form but also in numerous compounds in nature and is a basis of life. From diamonds to carbon dioxide to glassy carbon, it defines our lives and cultures more than we generally realize.
