Ten artists in the Gulf shortlisted for $60,000 Richard Mille Art Prize

Those selected will showcase their work as part of the second Art Here exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Richard Mille Art Prize received 246 submissions from artists residing in the GCC. Photo: Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille have announced the 10 shortlisted artists for the 2022 Richard Mille Art Prize as part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition Art Here.

The art prize received 246 submissions from artists residing across the GCC.

Those chosen are from a diversity of backgrounds and work across a number of mediums and themes. They are: Afra Al Dhaheri from the UAE; Ayman Zedani from Saudi Arabia;Dana Awartani from Palestine; Elizabeth Dorazio from Brazil; Manal Al Dowayan from Saudi Arabia; Rand Abdul Jabbar from Iraq; Simrin Mehra Agarwal from India; Shaikha Al Mazrou from the UAE; Vikram Divecha, who was born in Beirut and raised in Mumbai and who lives in Dubai; and Zeinab AlHashemi from the UAE.

The artists were selected by a five-member jury who examined submissions based on proposals to engage with the idea of how the concept of “icon” and “iconic” resonates within contemporary art practices and how it informs new artistic perspectives.

The jury is made up of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, chairman of UAE Unlimited and an art collector, Morad Montazami, art historian and research curator at Tate Modern London, Hala Warde, founding architect of HW Architecture, Souraya Noujaim, director of scientific, curatorial and collections management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Reem Fadda, director of Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation and curator of this year's Art Here exhibition.

“It is an honour to curate the second edition of the Art Here exhibition and to work with a museum that continues to champion contemporary art in the UAE and wider the region,” said Fadda.

“I was thrilled to see the calibre of work the shortlisted artists put forward and believe that the exhibition will be stellar in terms of quality of production and discourse; a sentiment I am sure will be shared by our visitors and the cultural community at large.”

Artists will showcase their works at the museum in the second Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here exhibition, running from November 18 to February 19. The winner of the 2022 Richard Mille Art Prize, which will be announced early next year, will receive $60,000 in cash.

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