Shizuko Yoshikawa Art Prize – Supporting Young Female Artists

The Shizuko Yoshikawa Art Prize will be awarded for the second time to a young female artist in 2020
Announcement: 03.06.2020

The Shizuko Yoshikawa Art Prize – Supporting Young Female Artists
In 2018 the Shizuko Yoshikawa and Josef Müller Brockmann Foundation in Zurich established this Art Prize, endowed with CHF 25,000, specifically for young female artists. The prize is awarded to female graduates with a Master’s in Fine Arts from a Swiss art school. The course directors nominate the candidates. The prize is awarded every two years. The next award ceremony will take place in early June 2020. By organizing an award for young female artists, the Foundation is responding to Shizuko Yoshikawa’s wish to facilitate the initial phase of an artistic career for women and to encourage them to make their way in the art world.

Procedure
For the second time, the heads of master’s programs at Swiss art schools (ECAL, EDHEA, FHNW, HEAD, HKB, HSLU, ZHdK) will nominate three to five female graduates who have completed their degree within the last five years. Each of the artists nominated submits a portfolio that provides an overview of their work. The jury picks five candidates in a first preliminary selection round.
The shortlisted candidates will be invited to present their work in a second round in Zurich. The jury takes its final decision on the basis of these presentations.

Criteria
The nominees’ artistic practice may be manifested in any medium and does not necessarily have to draw on or be rooted in the traditions of Concrete Art or Constructivism. However, due to their more ephemeral nature, performances have so far been excluded. The Foundation reserves the right to adapt this criterion in the future. There is no requirement for the selected artists to hold Swiss citizenship, but they should have completed a master’s degree at a Swiss art school and currently be based in Switzerland. That ensures their work can develop as a source of inspiration for the Swiss artistic landscape.

Jury
The jury consists of members of the Foundation Board of Trustees and two additional guest experts. In 2020 the jury members are:
Latifa Echakhch, artist, Vevey (guest expert)
Valérie Knoll, Director, Kunsthalle Bern (guest expert)
Lars Müller (Foundation President)
Elisabeth Grossmann (Member, Foundation Board of Trustees)
Gabrielle Schaad (Member, Foundation Board of Trustees)