The 18th edition of the StudioCollector Prize was presented by the collector Jean-Philippe Vernes to the Egyptian artist Amir Youssef this Friday, November 8, 2024, in the Richelieu amphitheater of the Sorbonne. The winner receives a prize of 7,000 euros. Every year since 2007, this prize, created by Isabelle and Jean-Conrad Lemaître, celebrates video art as part of the “Panorama” exhibition and rewards an artist from Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Arts in Tourcoing.
Amir Youssef was chosen for his film give (2024, produced by Le Fresnoy). The artist anchors his practice in an exploration of pre-cinema and the archeology of media, through research called “Kinemania”, a term he invented for “ explore the obsession with various forms of visual movement ”, according to Le Fresnoy. His work revolves around two axes: the absurdity of war and postcolonial history and religion, whose writings he transforms into poetry. With giveit tells the story of waiting for a miracle through the journey of an Egyptian Copt and his questioning of faith during a trip to the basilica of Saint-Quentin (Aisne).
Amir Youssef has already exhibited at the Vasarely Foundation in Aix-en-Provence, France, at the BJCEM Biennale in Milan, Italy, and during past editions of “Panorama” at Le Fresnoy.
As part of the StudioCollector Prize, special mentions were awarded to Nefeli Papadimouli for In Parallel – Heterotopia of the mirror (2024) and to Majid Al-Remaihi for Perishable Idol (2024), both products by Le Fresnoy.
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