Elsa Casanova Wins Art Nou 2026 Prize for Taxidermy-Inspired Art

Elsa Casanova, presented by ADN Galeria, has been awarded the Art Nou 2026 Prize during the closing of the festival's fifteenth edition at La Capella in Barcelona. The prize, endowed with 2,000 euros, recognizes her proposal exploring the construction and representation of the animal. Casanova's work investigates taxidermy, hunting, and the visual devices used to depict nature, examining the gap between animals and the images we create of them. She highlights how taxidermy turns the animal body into a static image, shaped by conventions that dictate how a species should appear, and critiques the power relations embedded in our gaze. The exhibition also addresses violence and its representation, focusing on traces of hunting and wounds that disrupt idealized images. The jury, comprising Mariona Moncunill (La Capella curatorial team), Lorena Pizarro (Seltz by Ritterferrer), and collector Carlos Muñoz, selected Casanova's project from over 110 emerging artists. Other awards at the event included the SWAB Prize to EXs for Jamín Giudici and Leire Lacunza Miranda, and the Art-O-Rama Prize to ethall for Marga Estelrich's project. The anniversary edition featured programming across 22 galleries, five cultural institutions, and 22 independent spaces in Barcelona and L'Hospitalet, with a performance by Alicia Val in collaboration with Club9. This marks the culmination of fifteen editions of Art Nou dedicated to fostering visibility and professional growth for emerging art.