Vietnamese artist named on the shortlist of the largest contemporary art prize

Artist Nguyen Trinh Thi. Photo artreview.com

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Trinh Thi has been named on the shortlist of the UK’s leading biennial exhibition and largest contemporary art prize, Artes Mundi 10 (AM 10).

The AM 10, with presenting partner Bagri Foundation, has announced the shortlist of seven international contemporary visual artists and five nationwide venue partners for its 10th anniversary edition.

As an important arbiter of cultural exchange between the UK and international communities, Artes Mundi brings together a major biennial exhibition of international contemporary art by some of the most relevant artistic voices engaging with urgent topics of our time.

The seven artists named by AM 10 are Rushdi Anwar (Born Kurdistan. Lives and works between Thailand and Australia); Carolina Caycedo (Born UK to Colombian parents. Lives and works in the USA); Alia Farid (Born Kuwait. Lives and works between Kuwait City and Puerto Rico); Naomi Rincón Gallardo (Born USA. Lives and works in Mexico); Taloi Havani (Born Bougainville, Nakas/ Hakö tribe. Lives and works in Australia); Nguyễn Trinh Thi (Born, lives and works in Việt Nam) and Mounira Al Solh (Born Lebanon. Lives and works in The Netherlands).

“My very great honour,” wrote the Vietnamese artist on her Facebook page.

Thi is a Hà Nội-based filmmaker and artist. Traversing boundaries between film and video art, installation and performance, her practice currently explores the power of sound and listening, and the multiple relations between image, sound, and space, with ongoing interests in history, memory, representation, ecology, and the unknown.

Her works have been shown at international festivals and exhibitions including the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT9) in Brisbane; Sydney Biennale (2018); Jeu de Paume, Paris; the Lyon Biennale (2015); Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial (2014); and Singapore Biennale (2013). In 2022, her mixed-media installation, And They Die a Natural Death, is exhibited at documenta fifteen in Kassel, Germany.

Work by each artist will feature in the biennial exhibition MA 10 that takes place from October 2023 to March 2024. The winner of the prestigious 40,000 GBP Artes Mundi Prize – the UK’s largest contemporary art prize – will be announced during the exhibition run.

For the first time, AM 10 will be presented nationally at multiple venues across Wales. The venue partners are: MOSTYN, Llandudno; Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown; Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea; National Museum Cardiff; and Chapter, Cardiff.

Past editions have seen Artes Mundi work with artists at crucial stages of their careers, often being their first introduction to UK audiences, with many now established figures on the world stage, including Dineo Seshee Bopape, Prabhakar Pachpute, Ragnar Kjartansson, Theaster Gates, John Akomfrah, Teresa Margolles, Xu Bing and Tania Bruguera.

For AM 10, the selectors, Zoe Butt, Katya García-Antón, Wanda Nanibush and Gabi Ngcobo commented: “We are grateful to the AM 10 nominator network world-wide for proposing an impressive list of artists, thanks to which we enjoyed deeply inspirational dialogues within the jury.

“The list of artists provided a topical overview of the range of concerns and questions that are at the forefront of current themes, preoccupations and thinking in artistic practice today. In deliberating on our finalist selection, we were inspired by the opening up of ideas about connections to land, contested territories and histories, the questioning of nationhood and its environmental impact, and of how these ideas challenge preconceived notions of identity and belonging. We are excited to see how the exhibition will take shape over the coming months.”

Juan De Lara, Head of Arts, Bagri Foundation added: “We are incredibly excited to work with these seven artists to present their work at various museums and galleries across Wales.

“We pride ourselves on our socially responsible programme and giving voices of diverse backgrounds a platform to expand and develop their practice. This selection of artists and the timing of this Artes Mundi 10 Exhibition and Prize present us with the opportunity to do something truly exceptional together.” VNS