The city of Hiroshima, Japan, has selected prominent Chilean visual artist, architect, and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar as the winner of the 11th edition of the prize (Hiroshima Art Prize).
Jaar, who studied architecture at the University of Chile before permanently leaving the field in 1980, worked during the Chilean military dictatorship on projects such as Studies on Happiness (1979-1981) and Opus 1981 / Andante desesperato performance (1981), before settling permanently in the United States. Jaar's global recognition is reflected in his participation in the 1987 and 2002 editions of Documenta, as well as the retrospectives dedicated to his work in 2012 by the Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (NGBK) and the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin.
Regarding the selection, the jury commented:
Jaar has been chosen as the winner due to our expectation that the commemorative exhibition will have a profound message and exhibit new works that conceptualize Hiroshima as a contemporary theme.
“I feel enormously privileged, but also deeply humbled by this responsibility,” Jaar said in a statement on the award's official website.
Established in 1989, the Hiroshima Art Prize recognizes every three years "the achievements of artists who have contributed to humanity's peace in the field of contemporary art." Past editions have honored Colombian artist Doris Salcedo (2013), American architect Daniel Libeskind (2011), and Japanese designer Issey Miyake (1989).
Via Hiroshima MOCA.
This article was written by Nicolás Valencia. The translation is powered by AI.
¿Es usted feliz?
Es junio de 1980. Alfredo Jaar, tras desertar de Arquitectura en la Universidad de Chile, camina por el centro de Santiago con largos paneles. Arrimado a la sombra de un kiosco, intercepta a los transeúntes y los entrevista. En plena dictadura militar, Jaar quiere que la gente vote.
