CIRCA PRIZE 2024

1-30 September, 2024

Continuing our dedication to invest in the future of art and culture, CIRCA announces the 30 finalists of the CIRCA PRIZE 2024—a global initiative spotlighting the next generation of creative visionaries. Funded entirely by the sale of #CIRCAECONOMY prints, the winner will be selected by a distinguished jury including Marina Abramović, Lisa Anderson, Nicoletta Fiorucci, Michèle Lamy, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Josef O’Connor, Kembra Pfahler, Sir Norman Rosenthal, Slawn, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Ai Weiwei, to receive a cash prize of £30,000. An additional £10,000, powered by Piccadilly Lights, will be awarded to the artist with the most online public votes.

As arts funding dwindles and opportunities for emerging artists shrink, with recent studies showing that only 2% of global arts funding goes to early-career creators, the CIRCA PRIZE 2024 unearthed over 1,500 applications from across the planet, each a powerful call to break free and envision collective spaces of unrestricted expression. In response to the CIRCA 20:24 manifesto, ‘<<Break Free>> Time’s Arrow Flies Forever Forward’, 30 finalists were selected by an independent CURATORS CIRCLE including Mohamed Almusibli (Kunsthalle Basel, Basel), Attilia Fattori Franchini (Kunstverein Gartenhaus, Vienna), Sydney Fishman (BOFFO, New York), Sohyeon Park (Incheon International Airport Art and Culture, Incheon), and Kostas Stasinopoulos (Serpentine Galleries, London). Reflecting on the selection process, Stasinopoulos remarked, “It was a challenge and a privilege to work with my colleagues to create a shortlist that reflects the compelling voices of emerging artists from across the globe. The quest for freedom has never been more urgent, and artists have always played a pivotal role in envisioning a liberated and just future. The finalists are not just responding to the world—they are reshaping it.”

Deriving from over 20 countries, including Bangladesh, Morocco, the Philippines, Germany, Brazil, the U.K., and the U.S., the 30 final works resonate with a bold summoning, a catalyst for debate, and a profound exploration of possibilities. Spanning a broad spectrum of mediums – from performance, AI-generated pieces, animation, short films, poetry, and drawing – the 30 finalists offer a diverse tapestry of contemporary perspectives, extending beyond human experience to include that of the non-human. Through cathartic choreography, a metropolitan view through the gaze of a dragonfly, a herd of dogs, raving in an underground club, untamed and tamed horses negotiating their vital space, an Afrofuturist utopia, or a new digital reality, the CIRCA PRIZE 2024 showcases a collective dialogue that challenges our conception of liberty in the Anthropocene.

From 1–30 September 2024, each finalist will have their work appear at 20:24 BST on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights, whilst simultaneously broadcasting across a global network of screens in Berlin and Milan (20:24, local time). Presenting a different finalist every evening, this month long showcase celebrating the future of art and culture features the visionary creations of 30 CIRCA PRIZE 2024 finalists, including: Alina Akbar, Alice Bucknell, Bernice Mulenga, Bhenji Ra, Camille Henrot, Christelle Oyiri-K, Darryl Daley, Eleni Tomadaki, Gabriel Massan, H M Baker, Ivan Cheng, Jala Wahid, Jazz Grant, Jebi Labembika Ndimuntoh, Jonas Brinker, Joshua Antiporda Serafin, Josiane M H Pozi, Laisul Hoque, Maeve Brennan, Marianna Simnett, Ming Poon, Mohamed Sleiman Labat & Matthew Galloway, Oliver Beer, Rebecca Salvadori, Rohan Ayinde + Tayo Rapoport, Romeo Roxman Gatt & Costas Kazantzis, Sara Cwynar, Tizintizwa Collective/Soumeya Ait Ahmed, Yalda Afsah and Yumna Al-Arashi.

A prestigious jury, featuring past CIRCA artists and long-time collaborators including Marina Abramović, Lisa Anderson, Nicoletta Fiorucci, Michèle Lamy, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Josef O’Connor, Kembra Pfahler, Sir Norman Rosenthal, Slawn, Nadya Tolokonnikova and Ai Weiwei, will come together to select the winner of the CIRCA PRIZE worth £30,000. “At a time when arts funding in the UK has been cut by nearly 35%, initiatives like this are more crucial than ever to support creative visionaries.” points out Lisa Anderson, Managing Director of Black Cultural Archives. In addition, an online public vote, powered by Piccadilly Lights, will award an extra £10,000 to the artist who garners the most support. Global audiences are encouraged to view the 30 finalists’ films by clicking below, where you can nominate your Top Three finalists to decide the public vote winner, powered by Piccadilly Lights. “This prize is not just about recognising talent, but about empowering artists to push boundaries and feel empowered to create something extraordinary,” says Josef O’Connor, Founder and Artistic Director of CIRCA.

The winners will be unveiled during a 30-minute Award Ceremony starting at 8pm in Piccadilly Circus on Tuesday 1 October. Now in its fourth consecutive year, previous CIRCA PRIZE winners include Joseph Wilson (CIRCA PRIZE 2021), Mary Martins (CIRCA PRIZE 2022) and Cemile Sahin (CIRCA PRIZE 2023).