Kiwanga's Flowers for Africa exhbition at the Center Pompidou, Paris.
Aurélien Mole 2020
French-Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga has been awarded the 15th Zurich Art Prize for her work that depicts social topics, such as the route to independence for African countries.
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“The Zurich Art Prize jury was particularly enthusiastic about Kapwani Kiwanga’s ability to translate her research on socially relevant topics into appealing visual statements,” read a statementExternal link on Monday from Museum Haus Konstruktiv and the Zurich Insurance Group.
“Kiwanga’s works offer different readings through which the viewer can approach them, be it from a material, phenomenological or art and cultural-historical perspective.”
Before Kiwanga devoted herself to art, she studied anthropology and comparative religion in Canada, where she lives. Her artistic practice, which she began in the mid-2000s, is rooted in research in the humanities and social sciences. Her work is presented as sculptures, performances, videos and installation settings.
This includes the project Flowers for Africa, which has been running since 2012 and chronicles the path of African countries to state independence. The artist commissioned florists to create floral arrangements that denote diplomatic meetings or ceremonial celebrations.
The CHF100,000 ($108,000) Zurich Art Prize consists of CHF80,000 for the production of a solo exhibition and a prize sum of CHF20,000.
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