Artes Mundi shortlist: artist who maps refugees’ journeys among finalists

An artist who maps the perilous journeys of refugees around the world is among five finalists shortlisted today for Artes Mundi – one of Britain’s leading visual arts prizes.

First awarded in 2004, the biennial award, with a prize worth £40,000, was established to support international visual artists whose work engages with contemporary social issues.

Working with film, video, photography and prints, Moroccan-French artist Bouchra Khalili addresses themes of migration and racism through her work.

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Using videos and maps to chart the movement of refugees around the world, Khalili aims to encourage resistance and empowerment among political minorities.

Artes Mundi director Karen MacKinnon said that each of the five shortlisted artists exemplified an aspect of the initiative’s values and interests.

Alongside Khalili, the other shortlisted finalists are Anna Boghiguian (Canada/Egypt), whose work offers a critical view of modern urban communities; Otobong Nkanga (Nigeria), who uses a range of visual media to highlight environmental issues; Trevor Paglen (US), who works with scientists and activists to expose state and military secrets; and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand), who looks at how people exoticise other cultures.

The Artes Mundi international arts organisation is based in Cardiff and was established in 2002. Alongside the exhibition and prize, it also has a programme of outreach and learning projects, often involving returning prize winners.

At this morning’s shortlist announcement in central London, Artes Mundi curator MacKinnon told The Week Portfolio: “The thing we do in galleries is only part of the whole art trajectory. It’s about cultivating a conversation that is larger and deeper about the wider relationship between art and society”.