Jeremy Shaw wins the 2016 Sobey Art Award
Jeremy Shaw
The jury for the 2016 Sobey Art Award chose Jeremy Shaw, representing the West Coast and Yukon region, as the winner of the CA$50,000 top prize. He is the thirteenth Canadian contemporary artist under the age of 40 to win the annual award. The announcement was made during a gala event held last night at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The Award was presented to Shaw by last year’s winner, Abbas Akhavan.
The jury issued the following statement about Jeremy Shaw’s achievement:
“Jeremy Shaw’s work speaks to a fundamental longing for transcendence. He creates and reflects extraordinary experiences and shows us how art can translate what is challenging to articulate. We are pleased to announce Jeremy Shaw as the winner of the 2016 Sobey Art Award. ”
Jeremy Shaw’s work is on display in the 2016 Sobey Art Award Exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada until February 5, 2017 along with works from the other shortlisted artists for this year’s award. The four finalists, who each receive a CA$10,000 prize from the Sobey Art Foundation are:
• Brenda Draney (Prairies and Northern Canada
• Charles Stankievech (Ontario);
• Hajra Waheed (Québec);
• William Robinson (Atlantic).
The 2016 Sobey Art Award Curatorial Panel was chaired by Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Canada, and composed of:
- Barbara Fischer, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Art Museum at the University of Toronto - for the Ontario region;
- Jonathan Middleton, Director and Curator of the Or Gallery - for the West Coast and Yukon regions;
- Naomi Potter, Director and Curator of the Esker Foundation in Calgary - for the Prairies and Yukon region;
- Marie-Justine Snider, Curator of the art collections of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec - for the Quebec region;
- Pan Wendt, Curator of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown - for the Atlantic Provinces; and
- international juror Nicolaus Schafhausen, Director of Kunsthalle Wien and Strategic Director of Fogo Island Arts in Newfoundland.
Source: National Gallery of Canada
