Artes Mundi 9: Digital Press Preview

Artes Mundi 9 – the UK’s largest international contemporary art prize – will launch the digital version of its physical exhibitions with three venues: National Museum Cardiff, Chapter and g39 on Monday 15 March.

Due to the ongoing challenges wrought by COVID-19, Artes Mundi 9 will initially open virtually on 15 March and will remain on view until Sunday 5 September. In-person visits have been possible since 19 May, previously to this audiences were able to explore the exhibition through guided video walkthroughs of each artist’s presentation and still photographic documentation within gallery settings.

The Artes Mundi 9 Prize winner announcement will take place digitally on Thursday 17 June 2021. An expert judging panel will select the winner of the £40,000 award from artists Firelei Báez (Dominican Republic), Dineo Seshee Bopape (South Africa), Meiro Koizumi (Japan), Beatriz Santiago Muñoz (Puerto Rico), Prabhakar Pachpute (India) and Carrie Mae Weems (USA).

The Artes Mundi 9 virtual launch will mark the global premiere of major new works by several of these shortlisted artists, including Carrie Mae Weems’ photographic installation The Push, The Call, The Scream, The Dream, a new film About Falling by Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, and a series of dynamic large-scale paintings by Firelei Báez. An immersive installation comprising sculpture, drawing and sound by Dineo Seshee Bopape uses soil and clay from Welsh sacred sites combined with earth from other locations around the world including Île de Gorée, Senegal; James River, Richmond, Virginia; Mississippi River, New Orleans; and the Achimota Forest, Accra, Ghana. And Prabhakar Pachpute has developed an installation of paintings on canvas banners that continues his critique of the individual worker within the context of larger corporate and economic forces.