M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery reveal six international winners of inaugural Art for Change Prize for emerging artists
- M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery are proud to announce the overall winner of the Art for Change Prize, Samuel Nnorom, from Nsukka, Africa, for his work titled After the Pandemic .
- Art for Change Prize is the first-ever global art competition focused on breaking down barriers within creativity, diversity, equality and inclusivity.
Monday 28thNovember 2022: Today, M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery announcee’re excited to announce the regional winners of Art for Change Prize. Selected from over 2,500 entries from across 130 countries within M&C Saatchi key global regions.
- Africa Winner – Samuel Nnorom from Nsukka, Nigeria for his work After the Pandemic
- Americas Winner – Rachel Zhang from Pennsylvania,United States for her works The American Dream and Fruit Market in the Gvnt’s Garden
- Asia Winner – Sharon Cheung from Hong Kong for her Our Time series
- Australia Winner – Clare Jaque Vasquez from Queensland, Australia for her work The Hunter & Gatherer
- Europe Winner – Jaroslaw Lisicki from Wroclaw, Poland for his works Untitled and We
- UK Winner – Felix Chesher from London, England for this works Proximity and PrEP
Each winner in this non-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 7th December 2022) 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 8th December 2022 until 6th January 2023.
The competition was launched as part of a shared mission by M&C Saatchi Group and Saatchi Gallery in making art, culture, and creativity accessible to everyone. The aim is to highlight and stimulate dialogue around visual arts as an active medium for positive global and social change and give exposure to emerging artists worldwide.
Richard Thompson, M&C Saatchi UK Group Chairman: “London is at the heart of the creative industry, but currently due to big Government funding cuts in the arts industry there have been significant drops in the numbers of people taking art at A Levels. This is having a direct impact on the creative industry and we’re currently facing a creativity gap which is also underpinned by Diversity and Inclusion challenges.”
“At M&C Saatchi Group we have chosen to be a leader and invest into the culture sector through several initiatives, such as becoming Principal Patron of the Saatchi Gallery, and establishing the Art for Change Prize. Through this platform we want to give a voice to underrepresented groups by shining a light on what they do, inspire their peers, break down barriers to entry within the creative career industry, and encourage people across the globe to choose art and creativity as a career choice.”
“It’s been extraordinary to have received an unprecedented number of entries in our first year of the competition, making Art for Change Prize a truly unique global art initiative; and we anticipate that each year the competition will continue to grow in size and demand. This year’s entries are truly incredible, and it’s inspiring to see each artist individually interpret the brief of ‘equality’ in their own unique way. It’s been a while since there has been an icon in the contemporary art scene, but who knows, we may have just found the next Damien Hirst or Tracy Emin!”
June Sarpong, OBE and Art for Change Judge commented: “It has been an absolute honour to be a judge for the inaugural Art for Change Prize, the entrees were truly phenomenal, and it was wonderful to see so many talented artists from all over the world using their visual storytelling for good.”
Paul Foster, Director Saatchi Gallery: “Saatchi Gallery worked closely with M&C Saatchi to develop the framework for the Art For Change Prize and we are delighted with the high volume of submissions and the vast array of creative individuals this initiative has reached worldwide. We congratulate the incredible selection of regional winners and we cannot wait to see the response to the exhibition of their works this December.”
The overall winner of the Art for Change Prize will be announced on the 7th December 2022.
-ENDS-
*Judges include:
Asia: Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Singapore, Tony Liu, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi aeiou Shanghai, Circe Henestrosa, Fashion Curator & Head of the School of Fashion at Lasalle College of the Arts Singapore.
UK: Ben Golik, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi London, Darren Bowles, Partner & Executive Creative Director at Re, Part of M&C Saatchi Group, June Sarpong OBE, Author & Broadcaster.
Europe: Vincenzo Gasbarro, Co-Founder & Creative Partner at M&C Saatchi Milan, Klara Eide, Partner & Executive Strategy Director at M&C Saatchi Stockholm, Daniel Sundin, Founder of Litz Art Space Stockholm & Partner & Account Director at M&C Saatchi Stockholm.
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, Andre Bato, Founder, Director & Creative Director at Andre Bato Corp.
Africa: Neo Mashigo, Chief Creative Officer at M&C Saatchi Abel South Africa, Robert Grace, Founding Partner and Head of Strategy at M&C Saatchi Abel South Africa, Mary Corrigall, African Art Critic & Founder of Corrigall & Co.
Australia: Emma Robbins, National Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Australia, Sharon Edmondston, Creative Director at M&C Saatchi Sydney, Blak Douglas, Artist and 2022 Archibald Prize winner.
**More information on the winners’ and their submissions, can be found at https://mcsaatchi.com/artforchangeprize