Louvre Abu Dhabi expands Richard Mille Art Prize entries to include North African artists

Maan Jalal

A$60,000 art prize up for grabs at Louvre Abu Dhabi has been opened up to artists from North Africa for the first time.

The Richard Mille Art Prize launched four years ago in the capital and has, until now, been open to artists from or living in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

But the museum has announced that it is expanding its entry criteria this year to include Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. Contemporary artists from both regions can now submit their proposals for site-specific monumental artworks under the theme ‘awakenings’.

The selected works will be showcased at the Art Here 2024 exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi, with one artist winning the grand prize for producing the best work.

The award, in collaboration with Swiss luxury watch brand Richard Mille, has been used to support artists by highlighting talent and connecting cultures in the region.

Artists who plan to apply have been encouraged to focus on sculpture and audio-visual installations suitable for outdoor spaces that engage with Louvre Abu Dhabi’s architecture.

The current Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2023 exhibition has been extended until March 31, 2024. The exhibition showcases the work of seven regional artists addressing the theme of ‘transparencies’.

Dubai based multi-disciplinary artist Nabla Yahya, one of the seven shortlisted artists, was awarded the prize in January for her work, SoftBank.

Her installation explores the neglected details and nuanced history around the initial construction of the Suez Canal through three-dimensional cartographic representation.

The deadline for artists proposing works for the 2024 exhibition, to be curated by Simon Njami, is April 21.

Following that, a yet-to-be-announced jury of art experts will select a shortlist of works to be commissioned for the Art Here 2024 exhibition, which is scheduled to run from September 20 until December 15.

The winner of the Richard Mille Art Prize will be announced on the final day of the exhibition.