Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced the second Richard Mille Art Prize, a $60,000 award launched in collaboration with the Swiss watchmaking brand of the same name.
The award invites GCC nationals and residents to propose new or existing artworks that engage with the concept of "the icon".
The deadline for submissions is set for July 31. Proposals may be submitted via the Louvre Abu Dhabi website.
Shortlisted works will be displayed as part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here exhibition, which will run from November until February. From these shortlisted artists, the jury will select one recipient for The Richard Mille Art Prize.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the Art Here exhibition in 2021
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Latifa Saeed with her work 'The Pathway', on view as part of Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021. Photo: Augustine Paredes / Seeing Things -
The exhibition features the shortlist for the Richard Mille Art Prize, the first contemporary art prize established by the museum, announced earlier this year. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Taus Makhacheva with her work 'Mining Serendipity' at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Detail of Nasser Alzayani’s installation 'Watering the distant, deserting the near', made of compressed sand tablets produced via a laser-cut stencilling method. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Mohammed Kazem with his photography series at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Photo: Augustine Paredes / Seeing Things -
'Awaiting Weightlessness' by Mays Albaik, shortlisted for the Richard Mille Art Prize by Louvre Abu Dhabi. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Lourve Abu Dhabi's exhibition for the Richard Mille Art Prize, the first contemporary art prize established by the museum earlier this year. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Mays Albaik with her work 'Awaiting Weightlessness', video sculptures playing essays based on the Palestinian right of return. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
Tarek Al-Ghoussein’s ongoing series from 2015 'Odysseus', on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Vidhyaa Chandramohan / The National -
A view of the exhibition, which opens on November 18, 2021.
The cash prize has also been increased this year from the $50,000 awarded at its inaugural event.
“In an increasingly digitised world, the terms ‘icon’ and ‘iconic’ often connect and separate — an icon is at once an object, an image and a symbol,” a statement from Louvre Abu Dhabi reads. “Its iconic nature is derived from its visual impact on the viewer. For Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2022, artists will be encouraged to re-engage with the icon to revitalise this iconic effect.”
Curated by Reem Fadda, director of Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation, the exhibition will explore how the concept of the icon resonates within contemporary art practices and informs novel perspectives.
Jury members include Fadda, alongside Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa, chairman of UAE Unlimited and patron of the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum and Sharjah Art Foundation; Christine Macel, an art critic and chief curator at the Musee national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou; Hala Warde, founding architect of HW Architecture, long-term partner of Jean Nouvel and the lead of the Louvre Abu Dhabi project; and Souraya Noujaim, director of scientific, curatorial and collections management at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The award and its corresponding exhibition come as part of the celebrations of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s fifth anniversary, Manuel Rabate, the museum’s director, said.
“This year’s exhibition and prize seek to illuminate the notions of ‘icon’ and ‘iconic’, complementing the museum’s development and success throughout these past five years. As part of a mutual, long-term commitment with Richard Mille, Louvre Abu Dhabi continues its mission of championing contemporary artistic talent within the UAE and the GCC, while connecting the museum to its territory.”
The Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here and Richard Mille Art Prize was launched last year, with Bahraini-American artist Nasser Alzayani being declared the winner in March.
The winning work, Watering the distant, deserting the near (2021), centred on the state of Ain Adhari, a spring in Bahrain that recently dried up.
Louvre Abu Dhabi honours the legacy of paper in exhibition until July 24 — in pictures
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'Under the Wave off Kanagawa' by Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849) is part of Louvre Abu Dhabi's new exhibition Stories of Paper. All Photos: Victor Besa / The National -
'Al Saadi's Diaries' by Abdullah Al Saadi. -
'Le Violon d'Ingres' by Man Ray. (United States, 1890-France, 1976). -
'Pipal Tree' by Jayashree Chakravarty. -
Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Labirinto e Grande Pozzo' installation. -
Full-scale model of a traditional Korean house interior, made using Korean paper. -
Antonio Pisanello's 'Ashen Crane'. -
A snaking arrangement of paper banners segments the exhibition and provides historical context. -
Attributed to Huineng (638-713) The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra, Korea, 1370. -
'Al Saadi's Diaries', 2016. -
Anonymous. 'Lotus Sutra of the Good Law'. China, c.1590. -
'The Sausalito Garden' by Etel Adnan. -
Turtle-shaped flask, vest, strap for transportation, shoes, hat. Korea , Joseon dynasty (1932-1910). -
'Storm Below the Summit' by Katsushika Hokusai.
