Sobey Art Award announces shortlist for leading national prize that has championed Canadian contemporary visual arts for 20 years

Posted June 8, 2022

OTTAWA, Wednesday, June 8, 2022 —The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada announced today the five artists shortlisted for the 2022 Sobey Art Award. Globally recognized as one of the world’s most generous and prestigious prizes for contemporary visual artists, the Sobey Art Award is a catalyst for the careers and work of visual artists in Canada of all ages. The winner will be announced at a gala ceremony at the National Gallery of Canada this Fall.  

“The Sobey Art Foundation is thrilled to celebrate these five inspiring visual artists from across Canada who have been shortlisted for the 2022 Sobey Art Award in its 19^th iteration,” said Rob Sobey, Chair, Sobey Art Foundation. “On behalf of the Foundation I’d like to thank the 2022 jury and our presenting partner the National Gallery of Canada. Each year we strive to share and explore the artistic visions and practices of these gifted individuals with audiences from coast to coast to coast, and I personally can’t wait to see the exhibition of their works at the National Gallery this Fall.”

“The Sobey Art Award is an incredible showcase demonstrating the continuing impact of contemporary art on Canadian society,” said Dr. Sasha Suda, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. “As Chair of the Jury, I’m impressed by the strength and vision offered by each of these shortlisted artists. I’m also grateful to the hard-working jurors of the 2022 Sobey Art Award. We look forward to celebrating these contemporary artists while hosting the upcoming Sobey Art Award exhibition and gala award ceremony at the National Gallery."

The five visual artists shortlisted for the 2022 Sobey Art Award from across the five regions of Canada are:

Atlantic:
Tyshan Wright 

Quebec:
Stanley Février 

Ontario:
Azza El Siddique 

Prairies & North:
Divya Mehra 

West Coast & Yukon:
Krystle Silverfox 

Founded in 2002, the Sobey Art Award is funded by the Sobey Art Foundation and organized and presented by the National Gallery of Canada. The award propels the careers of artists through financial support and recognition in Canada and beyond. 

The 2022 award structure, totalling $400,000, is as follows:

• $100,000 to the overall winner
• $25,000 to each of the four shortlisted finalists
• $10,000 to each of the 20 longlisted finalists

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 an international juror, oversaw the longlist selection process and continued to participate in deliberations to select this shortlist.

The Sobey Art Award winners over the past 20 years  are Brian Jungen (2002), Jean-Pierre Gauthier (2004), Annie Pootoogook (2006), Michel de Broin (2007), Tim Lee (2008), David Altmejd (2009), Daniel Barrow (2010), Dan Young & Christian Giroux (2011), Raphaelle de Groote (2012), Duane Linklater (2013), Nadia Myre (2014), Abbas Akhavan (2015), Jeremy Shaw (2016), Ursula Johnson (2017), Kipwani Kiwanga (2018), Stephanie Comilang (2019), and last year’s winner Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (2021). During the first year of COVID (2020), all longlist artists equally shared a prize.

For more information, including biographies of the 2022 shortlisted and longlisted artists, please visit the National Gallery of Canada link here: https://www.gallery.ca/whats-on/sobey-art-award

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