Now in its second edition, the Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize was created by Porto City Council as a tribute to the former Councillor for Culture, Paulo Cunha e Silva, doctor, art critic and curator, whose professional activity was always linked to theoretical reflection on contemporary art. His critical and broad vision of culture and his remarkable ability to create connections and to mobilize agents from all artistic domains have left a permanent mark on the city of Porto.
The Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize is biennial and aimed at artists aged under 40 who have held no more than one solo exhibition in an internationally recognized institution or art space. The jury of the 2019/2020 edition—including the artists Isabel Lewis and John Akomfrah, the curator and researcher Margarida Mendes and the writer and art critic Shumon Basar—have invited a group of 16 curators: Aram Moshayedi, Binna Choi, Christine Tohme, Claire Tancons, Claude Adjil, Clémentine Deliss, Cliff Lauson, Daniel Blanga Gubbay, Elise Atangana, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Lara Khaldi, Marlies Wirth, Natasha Ginwala, Ute Meta Bauer, Zhang Wei and Hu Fang, Zoé Whitley.
The 16 curators each nominated three artists, thereby forming a nominee shortlist of 48 artists from which the jury will select the finalists, to be announced in August 2019.
The Paulo Cunha e Silva Art Prize final exhibition, curated by Guilherme Blanc and Margarida Mendes, will be held in June 2020 at the Galeria Municipal do Porto and will present the finalists’ works.
The winner artist will be announced during the exhibition and will be awarded a cash prize of 25,000 EUR.
In the first edition of the Prize, held between 2017 and 2018, the finalists were Christine Sun Kim, Jonathas de Andrade, June Crespo, Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela, Naufus Ramírez Figueroa and Olga Balema. The jury unanimously decided to award the Prize to Mariana Caló and Francisco Queimadela.
Jury
Isabel Lewis, John Akomfrah, Margarida Mendes, Shumon Basar
16 curators
Aram Moshayedi, Binna Choi, Christine Tohme, Claire Tancons, Claude Adjil, Clémentine Deliss, Cliff Lauson, Daniel Blanga Gubbay, Elise Atangana, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Lara Khaldi, Marlies Wirth, Natasha Ginwala, Ute Meta Bauer, Zhang Wei and Hu Fang, Zoé Whitley
48 artists
Adrián Balseca, Alia Farid, Alice Miceli, Art Group 705, Barbara Kapusta, Basir Mahmood, Basma Alsharif, Benji Boyadgian, Bronwyn Katz, Christian Nyampeta, Diedrick Brackens, Dina Khouri, Fiona Connor, Firenze Lai, Gala Porras-Kim, Haig Aivazian, Heba Y. Amin, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov, Imran Perretta, Jasmijn Visser, Kokou Ferdinand Makouvia, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, Larry Achiampong, Lebohang Kganye, Louis Henderson, Lydia Ourahmane, Mahmoud Khaled, Matt Copson, Meriem Bennani, Miranda Moss, Mire Lee, Munem Wasif, Noor Abuarafeh, Núria Güell, Ola Hassanain, Philip Mueller, Philipp Timischl, Phoebe Boswell, Precious Okoyomon, Riet Wijnen, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Song Ta, Steffani Jemison, Tarek Lakhrissi, Tiphaine Calmettes, Yan Xing, Yve Laris Cohen, Zarina Muhammad
