PRESS RELEASE
THERE’S NO ART ON A DEAD PLANET
Ahead of COP28 M&C Saatchi Group & Saatchi Gallery Announce Six
International Winners of Art for Change Prize
- The prize was launched as part of a shared mission by M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery to make art, culture, and creativity accessible to everyone and identify the next generation of artists.
- The prize aims to highlight and stimulate dialogue around visual arts as an active medium for positive global and social change, this year exploring one of the most urgent issues of our time.
- The prize supports M&C Saatchi Group’s mission to deliver meaningful change in partnership with Saatchi Gallery and identify the next generation of artists exploring one of the most urgent issues of our time.
- For the second edition emerging artists were invited to create new stories of a liveable future in response to the theme, ‘Regeneration’.
- 6 regional winners announced from a total of 3,000 entries from 130 countries.
(London, UK, 24 October 2023) – Ahead of Cop28, when the world will be focused on one of the most urgent issues of our time, M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery announce the six regional winners of their annual international art initiative, Art for Change Prize, which invited emerging artists from around the world to creatively respond to the theme of ‘Regeneration’ for the chance to win a grand prize of £10,000.
This year’s climate-focused prize celebrates the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around the climate emergency. The six winning artworks open a conversation to examine this topic from different global perspectives, look to create new stories of a liveable future and empower individuals and entities to act. It’s a call to action for meaningful change, recognising that there is no art on a dead planet.
The total number of entries increased by 20% from last year, totaling 3,000, from artists based in 130 countries, with over 56% of them developing nations from within Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Climate-related disasters are considerably increasing inequalities and injustices that already exist in the world[1]. Meanwhile cuts to arts education funding[2], coupled with pre-existing structural barriers, such as unpaid internships and low wages, have meant that opportunities for students and under-represented groups to interact with contemporary art have been significantly reduced. The prize was launched as part of a shared mission by M&C Saatchi Group & Saatchi Gallery to break down barriers to entry into the creative industry and enable people across the globe to choose art and creativity as a career choice.
A winner from each M&C Saatchi key global region (UK, Europe, Americas, Asia, Australia, and Middle East & Africa) has been carefully selected by some of the best business and creative minds from M&C Saatchi Group globally and a special selection of eminent guest judges*.
- Americas Winner – IngridWeyland from Buenos Aires, Argentina for her work Topographies of Fragility XXXV and Topographies of Fragility XXXVI
- Asia Winner – Haining Wang from Beijing, China for her work Molt
- Australia Winner – Jen Valender from Melbourne, Australia for her work Sediment and Artist as Animal
- Europe Winner – AlinaZamanova from Kyiv, Ukraine for her work Our Children are Fighting too
- Middle East & Africa Winner – Chibuike Ifedilichukwu from Anambra, Nigeria for his work Equality State
- UK Winner – Natasha Botelho Cook from London, England for her work The Garden of Dried Roses
Each winner in this not-for-profit initiative will receive a cash prize. The total prize fund of £20,000 will be split between the six regional winners, five to receive £2,000 each and one overall winner, due to be announced at the exhibition launch on the 29th November 2023, to receive £10,000. Additionally, all artists’ winning works will be exhibited in a dedicated exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, an iconic platform for contemporary art, from 30th November 2023 until 7th January 2024.
The overall winner will be selected by a Grand Jury lead by Chair of Judges, Justine Simons, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture & Creative Industries and Founder and Chair of the World Cities Cultural Forum, alongside Saatchi Gallery Director, Paul Foster, and one M&C Saatchi Group judge from each region. The winner will be announced on 29th November 2023.*
Richard Thompson, M&C Saatchi Group UK Chairman, comments: “Now in our second year, we’ve been delighted to see the Art for Change Prize grow even bigger with 20% more entries from every corner of the globe. As a global creative solutions company, we believe we have an obligation to help identify the next generation of artists to help tackle the increasing barriers to entry into the creative industry. Given the urgency and importance, Regeneration is a critical theme to explore to drive positive and social change across the world and is something M&C Saatchi are firmly committed to.”
Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director, adds: “The diversity and quality of works created by the regional winners of the Art For Change Prize this year take the breath away. These winning works remind us that contemporary artists have something important to express about how we live that is relevant to all of us. Someday soon, a work will emerge about the climate crisis that will have the same impact in the 21st century as Guernica did about war in the 20th century.”
Sophie Morgan, TV Presenter, Writer & Disability Advocate, and UK Judge, comments: “It has been an absolute honour to be a judge for the Art for Change Prize, the caliber of entrees were truly amazing, and it was wonderful to see so many talented artists from all over the UK using their visual storytelling to tackle one of the most important issues of our time.“
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*Grand Jury Judges include:
Justine Simons, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and creative Industries and Founder and Chair of the World Cities Cultural Forum, Paul Foster, Director at Saatchi Gallery, Ronaldo Tavares, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, Klara Eide, Partner & Executive Strategy Director at M&C Saatchi Stockholm, Lucas Crigler, Creative Director at SS+K, Part of M&C Saatchi Group, Ryan Reed, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi UAE, Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Singapore, Emma Robbins, National Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi Australia
Regional Judges include:
UK: Darren Bowles, Partner & Executive Creative Director at Re, Part of M&C Saatchi Group, Ronaldo Tavares, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, Sophie Morgan, TV Presenter, Writer & Disability Advocate
Europe: Klara Eide, Partner & Executive Strategy Director at M&C Saatchi Stockholm, Christian ‘Kidde’ Schuck, Managing Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Berlin, Michael Elmenbeck, Founder and Creative Director of CF HILL Art Space and Bon Magazine
Americas: Nicholos Rotondi, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America, Lucas Crigler, Creative Director at SS+K, Part of M&C Saatchi Group, Mickey Smith, Conceptual Artist and Photographer
Middle East & Africa: Robert Grace, Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, Ryan Reed, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi UAE, Zeinab Alhashemi, Conceptual Artist, specialised in site-specific art installation and public art, Artist Mentor and Founder of Athmad Projects
Asia: Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Singapore, Dami Sidharta, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Indonesia, Nadya Wang, Editor of Art & Market and Fashion & Market, Lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore Australia: Emma Robbins, National Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi Australia, Patrick Guerrera, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Re, Part of M&C Saatchi Group, Claire Bridge, Founder of Art World Women and dual contributor to The Peregrine Collection on The Moon
**More information on the winners and their submissions can be found at https://mcsaatchi.com/artforchangeprize
NOTES TO EDITORS
For all press enquiries, please contact:
Eleanor Thirlway eleanor@saatchigallery.com I Sophie Smith sophie.smith@mcsaatchi.com
About M&C Saatchi Group
M&C Saatchi Group is a global creative solutions company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data, technology and culture, to help clients navigate, create and lead meaningful change. The Group operates across five core divisions: Connected Creativity; Passion Marketing; Global and social Issues; Brand, Experience & Innovation; and Performance Media. Headquartered in London, operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia. M&C Saatchi Group’s two principles, Diversity of Thought and Brutal Simplicity of Thought, guide how they build teams and solve problems.
It is listed as ‘M&C Saatchi PLC’ (LON:SAA) on the AIM stock exchange in London.
About Saatchi Gallery
Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019, Charles Saatchi formally stepped back from his management of Saatchi Gallery with the organisation beginning a new chapter in its history as a fully independent registered charity. Saatchi Gallery has an expansive education and learning program and partners with a wide variety of schools, colleges, universities and community organisations.
The Saatchi Gallery was founded by Charles Saatchi in 1985, ten years before he became a founding partner of M&C Saatchi in 1995. Charles Saatchi stepped down as a Director of M&C Saatchi in 2004 and sold his remaining shares in the Group in 2006.
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
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Registered Charity Number: 1182328
[1] https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/58334/climate-justice-and-social-justice-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/arts/design/arts-education-necessary.html