We are thrilled to share that Said Ahmed Mohamed Alhassan has won the main prize for his project Haawriya at the State of the ART(ist) competition. This prestigious award celebrates artists who bravely confront threats such as political persecution, repression, and other forms of adversity.
Alhassan was an Artist at Risk (AR) resident at ArtVeda in Tunisia, and we couldn’t be more proud of his achievements. Earlier this year, he exhibited alongside other AR-alumni in the Artists At Risk Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Alhassan’s work continues to inspire and inform on the resilience of artists working under difficult conditions. Learn more about his award-winning work Haawriya translates to both “freedom” and “container” in Arabic.
- More about the artwork: https://ars.electronica.art/stateoftheartist/en/haawriya/
Alhassan shares this honour with AR-alumni Nina Bulgakova, Anastasiia Mostova, and Kateryna Zhuravlova of Ethno Contemporary Ballet, who won for their project Fertility performance. The group was in AR-Safe Haven Helsinki Residence. Big congratulations to them as well!
Additionally, we are delighted to share that Saddam Jumaily, another AR alumnus, has been awarded an honorary mention by Ars Electronica for his series Poisonous Meadow.
The 2024 State of the ART(ist) Exhibition runs from 4 to 8 September 2024 in Linz, Austria.
➤ On 5 September AR’s Co-Director Marita Muukkonen will discuss how artists, art institutions, and ecological defenders can act as agents of resistance and change against rising authoritarianism, deepening inequalities, and the intertwined human rights and climate crises at the POSTCITY Lecture Stage. Artists at Risk (AR) Co-Directors Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky are both members in the State of the ART(ist) jury.
- Seminar on Artists at Risk (AR) Ecologists at Risk (ER) peer movements standing for resistance and change: https://ars.electronica.art/hope/en/events/artists-at-risk-ar-ecologists-at-risk/
- All winners in the virtual State of the ART(ist) Exhibition: https://www.spatial.io/s/State-of-the-ARTist-2024-649ff2152e4f7d91d9598424?share=172859706868939401
Pictures: Said Ahmed Mohamed Alhassan