Season 2 winner Bright Ackwerh & Guest of honour and chair of the jury, El Anatsui 1
After two successive seasons, Ghana’s most prestigious art prize, the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Ghanaian Art has announced the ten artists who have made the final cut into the 2017 shortlist.
The Prize which was established in 2014 under The Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art, a private not-for-profit trust, seeks to make a contribution to Ghana’s art ecosystem, inspiring outstanding Ghanaian artists to continue to pursue their dreams with passion and excellence, both locally and internationally.
The competing works of the shortlisted artists went through a rigorous selection process to be selected out of a 139 applications. Season three finalists of the Kuenyehia Prize are Priscilla Owusu Mensah, Andrew Torsu, Sela Adjei, Elsie Tachie Menson, Isaac Yeboah, Eric Gyamfi, Isaac Opoku, Theresa Ankomah, Ama Diaka and Samuel A. F Ansong Kofi Jnr.
The winner and runners-up will be decided by a five member jury panel chaired by acclaimed artist and scholar, Professor Ablade Glover, and announced at an awards event in April. The competing works are currently on exhibition to the public at Unit A02 of The Octagon, Barnes Road, Accra Central.
The winners and runners-up will be awarded with prize money and materials to the value of twenty five thousand Ghana Cedis and past and current shortlisted artists will benefit from personal development and business training and coaching. Shortlisted artists participate in the exhibition, talks, publications and media activity, to expose them and their work to the wider market in order to build their profile.
Founded by Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia in 2014, the objective of the Kuenyehia Prize for Contemporary Ghanaian Art is to identify, reward and help develop Ghana’s outstanding artists between the ages of 25 and 40. Nominations are submitted each year, and the prize is judged by an independent jury. Ten artists are shortlisted, with an overall winner and two runners-up selected by the Jury. The Prize provides tailored mentoring, personal development and business coaching to help develop the artists and their practice.
