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The 4th Artes Mundi Prize for contemporary art of £40,000 was awarded to Yael Bartana from Israel at National Museum Cardiff last night, 19 May.

Artes Mundi 4 has demonstrated that artists of today can add new readings into global issues as well as particular country politics. Bartana was awarded the Prize for her work of the last five to eight years which has consistently stimulated thinking about the human condition and adds to our understanding of humanity.

The winning artist creates complex visualizations with photography, film, video, sound and installation. Using documentation and re-enactments she moves between playfulness and seriousness. Bartana divides her time between her homeland and Amsterdam and often focuses upon Israel and the Israeli situation. She explores the details of everyday living and its rituals while relating them to the actions of the state and the constant presence of war and insecurity.

The announcement was made last night by Professor Sarat Maharaj, Professor of Visual Art & Knowledge Systems, Lund University & the Malmo Art Academies, Sweden, who chaired the prestigious panel of jurors including Chilean artist Eugenio Dittborn, Hannah Firth, Head of Visual Arts at Chapter, Cardiff, and Adam Szymczyk, Director and Chief Curator of Kunsthalle Basel and Octavio Zaya, independent curator and art writer based in New York.

Professor Sarat Maharaj said:

“We live in an age where we are frequently asked to face tribal and territorial concerns and where national and regional boundaries are disputed with devastating consequences. Yael Bartana has continually found inventive strategies to question the abstract idea of a nation’s collective identity - a question that is fundamental to the human condition.

“The high standard and welcome complexity of work by the eight shortlisted artists –– across painting, photography, film, video, sound, installation and drawing –– made the jury’s decision a difficult one.

“All deserve recognition and praise for work that explores issues of national identity, globalisation, consumerism, propaganda and migration. From Kyrgyz traders on the Great Silk Road to Taiwanese factory workers, the lives of ordinary people around the globe are made real and unfamiliar cultures are brought closer to viewers in the UK by the artists of Artes Mundi 4.”

The artists selected for Artes Mundi 4 were Yael Bartana (Israel), Fernando Bryce (Peru), Ergin Çavu?o?lu (Bulgaria), Chen Chieh-jen (Taiwan), Olga Chernysheva (Russia), Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev (Kyrgyzstan) and Adrian Paci (Albania).

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, added:

“Artes Mundi is a most significant and successful arts initiative and I am pleased that the Welsh Assembly Government has been able to support the Prize from the beginning. Its impact goes beyond Wales to the UK and to wider international arts audiences. Not only is it still one of the largest art prizes in the world but it is one of the very few that is genuinely international, providing a showcase for artists from across the globe.”

The international selection and judging processes are supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch as part of their international programme of arts support.

Rena DeSisto, Global Arts and Heritage executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said:

“Artes Mundi, through its biennial celebration of the work of emerging artists from around the world, brings exciting artistic talent and their extraordinary cultural experiences to an international stage. This initiative reflects Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s belief that worldwide cultural understanding leads to improved economic opportunities for all.

“Bank of America Merrill Lynch wishes to congratulate all shortlisted artists and particularly the winning artist, Yael Bartana. We hope visitors will enjoy this enlightening exhibition.”

Joining Bank of America Merill Lynch as sponsors of Artes Mundi 4 are Admiral, Legal & General, the Western Mail, Sky Arts, First Great Western, Starbucks, Confused.com and St David’s Dewi Sant, the recently opened new shopping centre in Cardiff that has also invested significantly into public art in the city. In recognition of their creative partnerships with the corporate sector, Artes Mundi 4 has been funded through the Arts & Business Investment Programme.

The Artes Mundi shortlist exhibition which has already generated high visitor figures – over 25,000 people to date - continues until 6 June at National Museum Cardiff.

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Press information: Jeanette Ward at Theresa Simon & Partners

+44 (0) 20 7734 4800 | +44 (0) 7729 930 812 | jeanette@theresasimon.com

Images are available at www.theresasimon.com/press

or

Catrin Mears, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

029 2057 3185 / 07920 027067 / catrin.mears@museumwales.ac.uk