Alexis Blake Wins €40,000 Prix de Rome, Oldest Dutch Art Award

Alexis Blake, an artist based in Amsterdam, has been awarded the €40,000 Prix de Rome, the oldest art award in the Netherlands. Selected from a shortlist that featured Mercedes Azpilicueta, Silvia Martes, and Coralie Vogelaar, Blake is celebrated for her performance art that addresses themes of representation, the body, and feminism. Her work, 'Rock to jolt [ ] stagger to ash,' currently displayed at the Stedelijk Museum until 20 March, delves into the ancient Greek prohibition against women's expressions of grief. The jury commended her exploration of lamentation as a form of mourning, particularly relevant to losses experienced during the pandemic, and her feminist interpretation of lament as a form of protest. The Prix de Rome, founded in 1808, is given every two years to artists under 40, with previous winners including Erik Andriesse (1988) and Rory Pilgrim (2019).