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The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada are thrilled to announce the 25 artists longlisted for the 2021 Sobey Art Award. Globally recognized as one of the world’s most generous privately funded prizes for contemporary visual artists, the Award celebrates the careers of emerging Canadian artists of all ages through financial support, an exhibition highlighting the practices of the five short-listed artists, as well as national and international recognition.
“On behalf of the Sobey Art Foundation, I want to congratulate all 25 longlisted artists for the 2021 Sobey Art Award. This year, the longlist prize has been increased to 10,000 CAD per artist so that every nominated artist will receive meaningful financial support to sustain their practices—while raising the overall prize-value of the award to 400,000 CAD,” said Rob Sobey, Chair, Sobey Art Foundation. “The unprecedented number of first-time, longlisted artists resonates loudly with the Sobey Art Foundation’s commitment to amplify new voices. I am pleased to see such an exciting array of emerging artists from coast to coast to coast. Thank you to the Jury—their process has been thoughtful and their optimism for the future is palpable in the long list. We look forward to celebrating these exceptional artists and contemporary art for all that it contributes to society.”
“The Sobey Art Award connects with new voices and celebrates the importance of contemporary art in daily life,” said Sasha Suda, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. “In my first year as Chair of the Jury, I’m thrilled that the Sobey Art Award received a record number of nominations and many from outside of the large urban centers that we often associate with the art world. I couldn’t be prouder of the conversation at the jury table and the thoughtful and hard work and that each juror has contributed. Most of all, it has been an extraordinary privilege to learn about the amazing art being made from coast to coast to coast.”
Here is the full list of 25 emerging visual artists longlisted for the 2021 Sobey Art Award, from across the five regions of Canada.
Atlantic
Carrie Allison
Rémi Belliveau
Glenn Gear
Meagan Musseau
Lou Sheppard
Quebec
Guillaume Adjutor Provost
Lorna Bauer
Dayna Danger
Sheena Hoszko
Walter Scott
Ontario
Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, Ryan Ferko
Jawa El Khash
Tanya Lukin Linklater
Esmaa Mohamoud
Rajni Perera
Prairies and North
Alana Bartol
Maureen Gruben
Andrea Oliver Roberts
Laakkuluk Williamson-Bathory
Nic Wilson
West Coast and Yukon
Gabi Dao
Sharona Franklin
Julian Yi-Zhong Hou
Emily Neufeld
Anne Riley and T’uy’t’annat-Cease Wyss
The 2021 award structure is as follows:
100,000 CAD to the overall winner
25,000 CAD to each of the four other short-listed finalists
10,000 CAD to each of the 20 longlisted finalists
The five short-listed artists will be featured in an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada during the fall of 2021. An independent jury consisting of curators from five regions (Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and the North, and the West Coast and Yukon), as well as two international jurors, oversaw the longlist selection process and will continue to participate for the remaining deliberation rounds.
Now in its 20th year, the Sobey Art Award is jointly administered by the Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada. Awarded annually, the award shines a spotlight on many of the most exciting emerging artists in the country. The 2021 Sobey Art Award winner will be announced in the fall of 2021.
For more information, including biographies of the 2021 long-listed artists please visit our website.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Josée-Britanie Mallet, Senior Officer, Media and Public Relations, National Gallery of Canada
bmallet [at] gallery.ca
Denise Siele, Senior Manager, Communications, National Gallery of Canada
dsiele [at] gallery.ca
Bernard Doucet, Executive Director, the Sobey Art Foundation
bernard.doucet [at] sobeys.com
