Dafe Oboro and Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński have won the 2022/23 edition of the Access ART X Prize.
Organisers of the competition declared them winners during a briefing at the Access Tower in Lagos state on Friday.
Oboro, who works predominantly in photography and film, won the Nigerian category of the competition while Kazeem-Kamiński clinched the Africa/Diaspora category.
Kazeem-Kamiński is a Vienna-based artist whose works manifest themselves through a variety of media.
The pair were adjudged winners out of 10 selected finalists who made it to the last phase of the competition.
They will be awarded a grant of $10,000 each and an exhibition at the ART X Lagos fair in 2023.
According to the organisers, the Nigerian winner will undergo a three-month residency at Gasworks in London.
The diaspora winner, on the other hand, will undergo a residency at Yinka Shonibare’s G.A.S. Foundation in Lagos.
Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder/CEO of ART X Collective, described the winners as “exceptional artists who are united in their ambition to shift narratives about Africa and its global diaspora.”
“We are delighted to present this prized opportunity to these two exceptional artists – Dafe and Belinda – who are unique in their perspectives but are united in their ambition to shift narratives about Africa and its global Diaspora,” she said.
“Our shared objective with Access Corporation, through this prize, is to reinforce emerging artists at this pivotal stage in their careers, and we aspire over time to build a core group of artists for Nigeria, Africa and the Diaspora, with the potential to become truly transformational, not just within the arts ecosystem, but within our broader communities at a social, national, continental and global level.
“We look forward to working closely with these artists on their development in the coming months, and anticipate that they will make the most of this opportunity, which culminates in their exhibitions at ART X Lagos 2023.”
In his remark, Oboro said the victory has stripped him of negative thoughts about the significance of his work.
“This is an incredible win for me. For years have been reluctant to submit my work for competitions around my craft. I was too scared of not being enough,” he said.
“Thank you for stripping me of those negative thoughts about my value and my work.”
On her part, Kazeem-Kamiński said: “I’m lost for words. This win is important to me because it’s something I wanted. And, with this encouragement, I will continue to work hard”.
Previous winners of the competition include Chigozie Obi (2021), Etinosa Yvonne (2019), Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola (2018), Habeeb Andu (2017), and Patrick Akpojotor (2016).
Copyright 2024 TheCable. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from TheCable.
Follow us on twitter @Thecablestyle