Chanel has announced the 10 winners of its biannual Chanel Next Prize, which grants each artist an unconditional award of €100,000 ($108,000). Among the winners, who range from a video game designer to an opera singer, are three visual artists: Georgian artist Tolia Astakhishvili, Brazilian artist Dalton Paula, and Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen. The winners were chosen by a committee of judges, which included Cao Fei, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Tilda Swinton, among others.
Alongside the prize money, each artist will receive two years of mentorship with the luxury brand’s cultural partners, such as the Royal College of Art in London.
“The Chanel Next Prize was founded to amplify the work of artists who are making a difference and redefining their discipline. Each is a catalyst and a pioneer,” said Yana Peel, global head of arts and culture at Chanel. “Each is disrupting established practice in their field, from art and opera to cinema and game design. Watching their creative journeys will be thrilling.”
Ho Tzu Nyen explores his home country, Singapore, through a post-colonial lens. Working across animation, performance, and installation, the artist addresses the social changes and tensions in the former British colony.
In Brazil, Dalton Paula is similarly focused on the history of his home country. Paula uses portraiture to represent Black figures associated with Brazil’s African diaspora that have been forgotten or overlooked in history. His paintings will be featured in the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale.
Tolia Astakhishvili, who splits her time between Berlin and Tbilisi, works primarily in installation, drawing together mediums such as video, sound, found material, and architecture. Her debut solo exhibition in the United States will open later this year at SculptureCenter in Queens, New York.
The other winners include director Fox Maxy, musician and artist Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother), the choreographer Oona Doherty, opera singer Davóne Tines, game designer Sam Eng, composer Anna S. Thorvaldsdottir, and filmmaker Kantemir Balagov.
