The Freunde der Kunstsammlung NRW, in cooperation with the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen and thanks to a generous financial support from a Reydan + Roger Weiss foundation award the new annual art prize “K21 Global Art Award”. It is an example of the Friends’ creative and sustained commitment to the museum.
The annual K21 Global Art Award celebrates the vision and courage of emerging and mid career artists. It will be offered to internationally recognized artists, aged 45 and under. The award highlights the museum’s mission to broaden the collection and acquires new work by artist from different regions in the world.
The K21 is dedicated to current developments in international contemporary art and features paintings, drawings, immersive installations, video works and multidisciplinary approaches by renowned contemporary artists from all regions, including Ed Atkins, Lutz Bacher, Cao Fei, Hito Steyerl, Raqs Media Collective, and Ai Weiwei. Beyond presenting its collection and staging groundbreaking international exhibitions, the museum engages in critical debates with diverse communities and is eager to broaden the understanding of art and culture. K21 is committed to ongoing reflection on its role in the light of global transformations and emerging challenges. With a focus on its collection, the museum aims to enrich and broaden its holdings by integrating the principles of polyphony, globality, and digitalization.
The K21 Global Art Award has a jury of five renowned museum directors and curators from across the world. The nomination jury consists of Doryun Chong (M+, Hong Kong); Koyo Kouoh (Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Capetown); Omar Kholeif (Sharjah Art Foundation, Government of Sharjah, UAE); Oluremi C. Onabanjo, The Museum of Modern Art, New York); and Jochen Volz (Pinacoteca de São Paulo).
Each Jury Member has been invited to nominate uo to two artists. This list artists will be submitted to the acquisition jury, who selects the winning artist. The acquisition jury members for the 2024 K21 Global Art Award are Kathrin Bentele (Director, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf), Leopold Frhr. von Diergardt (Chairman, Friends of K20 K21), Anna-Alexandra Pfau (Board Member, Friends of K20 K21), Heidi Khair (Young Member, Friends of K20 K21) and Jonas Schmitt (Young Member, Friends of K20 K21).
The Friends of K20K21 will acquire works of art by the selected artist. The works of art will then be given to the museum’s collection on permanent loan. The board will announce the winner. This year’s award will be presented at K21 on May 23, 2024.
With a purchase budget of € 100,000, the K21 Global Art Award has a special status. It is unique in its global approach and is one of the most generously endowed art prizes in Germany. In 2023, the prize was awarded for the first time to the artist Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela (*1977 in Thokoza, South Africa).
Acquisition Jury
Nomination Jury
Nominees for the
K21 Global Art Award 2024
Curatorium
K21 Global Art Award 2023