The New Masters: A conversation with 2022 Sobey Art Award winner and finalists
CBC Radio | Posted: February 9, 2023 10:52 PM | Last Updated: July 19, 2023
‘Bold artistic visions of the five finalists…engage in pertinent global conversations,’ says Jury Chair
The distinguished Sobey Art Award is one of the most celebrated art prizes in Canada, recognized around the world.
Since its creation in 2002, the annual award has had "an undeniable impact on the careers of Canadian contemporary artists," according to the Sobey Art Foundation. Finalists are selected from five regions across Canada. The top prize is $100,000 CAD, short-listed artists each get $25,000, and $10,000 goes to each of the remaining long-listed artists.
In late 2022, after the award ceremony IDEAS producer Mary Lynk spoke to the recent winner and finalists at the National Gallery of Canada where works from each artist are exhibited.
The acclaimed art ranges from an exploration of what it means to be a Maroon; to reimagining the iconic and controversial Hudson Bay Blanket; to influences of the Egyptian sun god's regeneneration from death to rebirth; to the compelling power of tombstones when representing exclusion and finally the meaning behind turning the iconic Taj Mahal into a bouncy castle.
Winner: Divya Mehra, representing Prairies and the North
Divya Mehra's work highlights the difficult realities of displacement, loss, neutrality and oppression among diasporic communities.
Finalist: Azza El Siddique, representing Ontario
Azza El Siddique is informed by the ancient history of present-day Sudan, including Egyptian and Nubian mythology.
Finalist: Stanley Février, representing Quebec
Stanley Février is a multidisciplinary artist who was a social worker before becoming a full-time artist — two practices that have become inextricably linked in his work. His art uses strategies of institutional critique to expose discrimination and cultural erasure in the art world.
Finalist: Krystle Silverfox, representing West Coast and Yukon
Krystle Silverfox is a member of the Selkirk First Nation (Wolf Clan). She lives and works on the territory of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (Dawson City, Yukon). As an interdisciplinary artist, her work explores methodologies, and symbols to create conceptual works.
Finalist: Tyshan Wright, representing Atlantic
Tyshan Wright is primarily a self-taught artist. His art practice is entwined with the legacy of the Maroon people and in the visual lexicon of the African diaspora.
This episode was produced by Mary Lynk. Artist descriptions taken from the Sobey Art Award site where you can find more information about each artist.