Aamjiwnaang First Nation artist Nico Williams won the 2024 edition of the Sobey Arts Award on Saturday evening. The prestigious prize recognizes contemporary Canadian visual artists “whose work reflects and speaks to our contemporary times on a national and global scale.”
Nico Williams specializes in beaded sculpture: he uses beads to recreate everyday objects in his own way. The Montreal-based artist, who represented Quebec as a finalist, receives a $100,000 grant to propel his career.
The jury, made up of past finalists and winners of the prize, “felt challenged by the undeniable energy and relevance of Nico Williams’ approach to contemporary beaded sculpture, which allows us to imagine new possibilities for the medium,” says its president, Jonathan Shaughnessy.
“Working with and for the community, Williams challenges the persistence of colonial legacies by bringing to the surface collective memory and shared nostalgia through his artistic practice,” emphasizes Mr. Shaughnessy.
Like Algonquin artist Nadia Myre, winner of the prize in 2014 and “one of her role models,” Nico Williams wanted to send a message to young creators by winning her prize: “We will get there. »
The other finalists of this edition — Taqralik Partridge, Judy Chartrand, Rhayne Vermette, June Clark and Mathieu Léger — do not leave empty-handed: they each win a $25,000 scholarship.
For the occasion, works by Nico Williams and all the finalists are currently on display at the National Gallery of Canada until April 6, 2025.
