The Société des Arts of Geneva is pleased to announce that the Société des Arts Prize 2023 (8th edition) has been awarded to the artist Bea Schlingelhoff, who lives and works in Zurich. The Prize especially highlights the singularity of an artist who is committed to a conceptual project that is reflective and political. The award ceremony in February 2024 will be accompanied by a personal exhibition at the Palais de l’Athénée and the release of a publication.
The Jury was especially impressed by the way Bea Schlingelhoff’s practice engages with feminist and critical approaches to the history of institutions. Ms. Schlingelhoff sees the art exhibition as both the raw material of her work and the context of the area she focuses on in order to reveal unspoken historical facts and the repressive forces underlying a given situation. At a time when the Société des Arts is currently undergoing a major renovation of its premises, in parallel with an inventory of its collection, the Jury believes that Bea Schlingelhoff is well suited to question the historical and contemporary context of the Société des Arts.
Bea Schlingelhoff, a politically committed artist
Born in 1971 in Waiblingen, Germany, Bea Schlingelhoff lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland. She is a graduate of CalArts (Los Angeles) and studied in Bremen and at the Whitney Program in New York. In the past 20 years, Bea Schlingelhoff has had many solo exhibitions of her work, among others at Essex the Street Gallery (New York) in 2016 and at Cherish Gallery (Geneva) in 2020. More recently, her ambitious exhibition at the Kunstverein Munich, “No River to Cross” (2021), received widespread critical acclaim.
The Prix de la Société des Arts de Genève
The Prix de la Société des Arts de Genève is a biennial prize awarded since 2009 to a Swiss artist or an artist based in Switzerland whose work has already drawn interest in Switzerland and internationally. Organised as part of the activities of the Société’s Classe des Beaux-Arts, the Prize recognises contemporary artists at a crucial stage of their career, providing visibility and financial support to continue their practice. Worth CHF 50’000.-, the prize is complemented by a solo exhibition at the Palais de l’Athénée and a publication.
Previous recipients of the Société des Arts Prize are Francis Baudevin (2009), Christoph Büchel (2011), Gianni Motti (2013), Sylvie Fleury (2015), Mediengruppe Bitnik (2017), Renée Levi (2019) and Fabrice Gygi (2021).
Jury of the 8th edition of the Société des Arts Prize
Nominated by the Exhibition Committee of the Classe des Beaux-Arts, the President of the Jury is responsible for selecting a panel of recognised experts in contemporary art. The members of the Jury of the 8th edition of the Prize are Julien Fronsacq (President of the Jury and Head Curator, MAMCO, Geneva), Nina Zimmer (Director, Museum of Fine Arts Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee), Mai-Thu Perret (artist, Geneva), Devrim Bayar (Senior Curator, Kanal Pompidou, Brussels), Giovanni Carmine (Director, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen) and Justine Möckli (representative of the Société des Arts and Assistant Curator, Art and History Museum, Geneva).
About the Société des Arts de Genève
Founded in 1776, the Société des Arts de Genève is one of the oldest cultural organizations in Switzerland. It was established with the purpose of advancing and promoting the development of crafts, industry, commerce and agriculture in Geneva. Drawing on almost 250 years of history, the Société des Arts of Geneva continues to pursue its original mission: “to educate, promote and encourage the development of the arts and innovation”, while applying a multidisciplinary and historical lens to contemporary social issues. It provides a venue for discussion and emulation that serves both as a laboratory for artistic experimentation and a platform to amplify the voices of young artists, curators, musicians and researchers.
