Artes Mundi 10 shortlist announced with £40,000 prize for seven international artists

Seven artists from diverse global backgrounds have been shortlisted for Artes Mundi 10, the UK's most lucrative art award with a £40,000 prize fund. The finalists include Rushdi Anwar (Kurdistan/Thailand/Australia), Carolina Caycedo (UK/USA), Alia Farid (Kuwait/Kuwait City/Puerto Rico), Naomi Rincón Gallardo (US/Mexico), Taloi Havini (Bougainville/Australia), Nguyễn Trinh Thi (Vietnam), and Mounira Al Solh (Lebanon/Netherlands). A jury of curators Zoe Butt, Katya García-Antón, Wanda Nanibush, and Gabi Ngcobo selected the artists from nominations by independent selectors. The biennial prize, now in its tenth edition and based in Cardiff, traditionally recognizes artists engaged in social practice or political themes. Previous winners include Yael Bartana, Teresa Margolles, John Akomfrah, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The jury noted the shortlist reflects current artistic concerns about land connections, contested territories, nationhood's environmental impact, and identity challenges. An exhibition featuring the shortlisted artists will open at venues across Wales in October 2023. Rushdi Anwar's films explore displacement, identity, and colonialism from Arab perspectives, while Naomi Rincón Gallardo's performances draw from speculative fiction and Mesoamerican cosmologies.