Prix De Rome 2021

The Prix de Rome is the oldest and most generous award in the Netherlands for visual artists below the age of 40. The purpose of the award is to identify talented visual artists and to encourage them to develop and increase their visibility.
Since 2012, the award has been organised and funded by the Mondriaan Fund.
Prix de Rome 2021. Beeldende Kunst / Visual Arts accompanies the eponymous exhibition at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam with new work by the artists who have been shortlisted for the Prix de Rome 2021. It is centred around the work of Mercedes Azpilicueta, Alexis Blake, Silvia Martes and Coralie Vogelaar. The artists are introduced by the authors Dagmar Dirkx and Esmee Postma. In an introductory essay, Rein Wolfs, director of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, connects the work of the nominees to current developments in the world around us, and in the art world in particular.
The international jury made its selection from a list of 217 artists who applied for the award. The selection represents a broad spectrum of contemporary artist practices, varying from film to performance, storytelling to science and craftsmanship to information technology. The four finalists reflect on current themes, they offer critical reinterpretations of past events, link untold histories to our present world or concentrate on a distant future. Each of them represents a sign of the times in their respective way. The four selected artists have a strong practice and are working towards an established oeuvre, reinforcing their own signature style and idiosyncratic approach. At the same time, they allow new developments and intuitive processes in their work.