Prince Claus Fund Names Six Artists for 2024 Impact Awards

The Prince Claus Fund has announced the six recipients of the second edition of its Impact Award, honoring artists who drive social change and community engagement. The winners are Mu Cao (China), Myrlande Constant (Haiti), Nguyễn Trinh Thi (Vietnam), Rosa Chávez (Guatemala), Sana Na N’Hada (Guinea-Bissau), and Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi (Ghana). The award recognizes individuals whose contributions to art and culture address urgent contemporary issues. The jury, chaired by Pablo León de la Barra, included Kettly Mars, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Sammy Baloji, and Avni Sethi. Myrlande Constant is known for her work in drapo vudú, a traditional Haitian flag art form historically practiced by men. Rosa Chávez, a Maya K'iche' and Kaqchiquel poet and activist, explores themes of body, migration, and community. Sana Na N’Hada, a filmmaker, helped establish Guinea-Bissau's National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (INCA) and preserved archival footage after the 2012 coup. Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, also known as crazinisT artisT, is a multidisciplinary artivist and curator from Ghana. Mu Cao is a self-taught queer poet and fiction writer from China whose work documents gay working-class life. Nguyễn Trinh Thi is a Vietnamese filmmaker and artist who explores memory, history, and colonialism through montage.