The annual Access Art X Prize, set up to provide emerging artists with the opportunity to showcase their art and attract global success, is back and better! Formerly open only to Nigerian artists, the Prize now includes an additional award for emerging artists from all over Africa and its diaspora. This expansion allows for more entries and ensures long-term careers for a wider range of artists.
The African/Diasporan winner will receive a residency at Yinka Shonibare’s GAS Foundation in Lagos, while the Nigerian winner will undergo a residency at Gasworks in London, United Kingdom. Both winners will also receive the following:
– A $10,000 grant each for exhibitions at ART X Lagos, the leading international art fair in West Africa.
– Opportunities for cultural exchange and the means to develop their practice on the global stage.
The ART X Prize is sponsored by Access Corporation, the parent company of Access Bank, in collaboration with Gasworks and Yinka Shonibare’s GAS Foundation.
Explaining the importance of the additional award, the Chief Communications Officer of Access Corporation, Amaechi Okobi, said, “Access Corporation is leading the charge in connecting Africans around the globe by leveraging a critical sector like art. We have a responsibility to correct negative narratives that are associated with the continent and using platforms like this to highlight and promote talents from this part of the world is a step in the right direction. This year’s edition also sees an expansion of the project to the artists in the diaspora, creating an avenue for inclusion and ensuring long term careers for a wider range of artists. So, we are stopping at nothing to create a globally connected community and ecosystem.”
The Prize is open to artists with at least three years of experience. Submissions for this year’s edition will be reviewed and judged by a panel of esteemed industry professionals. The jury is made up of six members; Alessio Antoniolli (Director, Gasworks & The Triangle Network), Dr Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung (Artistic Director, SAVVY Contemporary), Gabi Ncgobo (Artist and Curatorial Director, University of Pretoria), Maria Varnava (Founder, Tiwani Contemporary), Professor Peju Layiwola (Artist and Historian), and Victor Ehikhamenor (Artist).
Interested artists can apply at http://theaccesscorporation.com/art-x-prize/. Entries close on Sunday, November 6, 2022.
