Open Call for Applications The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2015

The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2014 / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The Abraaj Group Art Prize is a prize for artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia which uniquely rewards proposals rather than completed works-of-art.

The annual prize and accompanying exhibition is a platform for recognising particularly notable artists in the region and for showcasing their work on an international stage to museum directors, curators, critics, gallerists, their peers, and the public. In an evolution to the format of recent years, following the application and jury process, four artists will be shortlisted for the prize and one (of the four) artists awarded the $100,000 commission. The commissioned work will be exhibited as part of The Abraaj Group Art Prize exhibition at Art Dubai 2015, before becoming part of The Abraaj Group Art Collection. The three shortlisted artists will receive a cash prize and be represented in the exhibition through previous works, which will be carefully selected by the Guest Curator in liaison with the artist.

Anup Mathew Thomas / Nurses, 2014, Art Dubai 2014 / Photo Courtesy of Art Dubai 2014

The shortlisted artists for The Abraaj Group Art Prize will be mid-career, having already participated in exhibitions to critical acclaim. Artists will have produced particularly significant bodies of work in the past couple of years, their practice having expanded or developed during this time. Their work must be original, initiating new ideas and concepts, and be seen as influential to emerging artists and their contemporaries.

Curators are invited to apply for the position of Curator of the Abraaj Group Art Prize 2015. The selected curator will liaise directly with the artists, selecting significant works that best represent the three shortlisted artists, and working with the winning artist on the development and production of their new work. The curator will also be responsible for editing and providing content for the accompanying catalogue or e-publication. Curators can originate from any country in the world and be based anywhere. Applicants are expected to have quantifiable experience in the field of curating on an international level, and have an active interest in the development of artistic practice in the Middle East and South Asia.

The Abraaj Group Art Prize 2014, Installation view / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The Abraaj Group Art Prize

The Abraaj Group Art Prize was founded in 2008 and is now in its seventh edition. The aim of the prize is to reflect The Abraaj Group’s dedication to empowering potential in the region, giving talented artists the opportunity to break new ground and showcase the rich artistic and cultural heritage of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region. It rewards selected artists on the basis of a proposal rather than completed works-of-art. To date, the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 works were exhibited at Art Dubai and have then toured to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; City Hall, London; MAXXI, Rome; Galleria Civica, Modena; ‘Future of a Promise’ collateral event of the 54th Venice Biennale; Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai; and the Maraya Arts Centre, Sharjah, among other venues.

The Abraaj RCA Innovation Scholarship

Alongside the prize, The Abraaj Group this year launched The Abraaj RCA Innovation Scholarship, thereby broadening and deepening their support for the arts. For the next five years, each year, the grant supports five exceptional post-graduate students from Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The scholarship will cover full international tuition fees to study at a Master’s level for two years at the Royal College of Art in London. Click HERE for more information

All applications must be made electronically via the online system within the set deadline. Visit the Abraaj Group Art Prize website for the selection criteria for both artists and curator and to apply.