What does the remarkable shortlist for the 2017 Sobey Art Awards say about the changing Canadian Art scene?
ARTNET NEWS
By Sarah Brown
The Sobey Art Award is one of the most coveted prizes in Canada, comparable in status and sum to UK’s Turner Prize. This year’s Sobey Award offers a larger sum of money than ever before: the prize money has been increased to $110,000, with $50,000 going to the winner and $10,000 to each shortlisted artist. According to the award’s press material, the list focuses on artists who question and challenge preconceived ideas around diversity, identity, and performance. These include Ursula Johnson, whose work reflects her Mi’kmaw First Nation heritage. Raymond Boisjoly is an Indigenous artist of Haida descent. Divya Mehra, who works between New York, Winnipeg, and Delhi. [More]
By Sarah Brown
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| Ursula Johnson's "Hot Looking" (2014). Photo: Michael Wasnidge. Courtesy Sobey Art Award |