As the kick off to the 2020 edition of the Armory Show edges closer and closer, the fair has announced a new art prize to add to its list of juried awards. The AWARE Prize, which will be presented for the first time this March, will deliver a $10,000 prize to one deserving female artist, or the artist’s estate, whose works will be exhibited in a solo presentation in the Galleries section of the Armory Show.
The AWARE Prize is presented by the French non-profit Archive of Women Artists Research and Exhibitions, also known as AWARE, which seeks to promote the presence of 20th century female artists in the art historical cannon of today. Founded in 2014, AWARE was born out of the work Camille Morineau was doing at Paris’ Centre Pompidou. ‘The prize is a way to pay homage to the galleries that are taking the risk to show only women,’ Morineau, co-founder of AWARE, told Artnet News. ‘Most women are less valuable today than men, so it’s kind of brave to do a solo booth with a woman artist.’
In the running for the inaugural prize are Rina Banerjee (b. 1963, India) presented by Galerie Nathalie Obadia of France and Belgium; June Edmonds (b. 1959, USA) presented by Luis de Jesus of California; Yuko Nasaka (b. 1939, Japan) presented by Axel Vervoordt Gallery of Belgium; Alexis Smith (b. 1959, USA) presented by Garth Greenan Gallery of New York; and Aase Texmon Rygh (1925-2019, Norway) presented by OSL Contemporary of Norway.
In addition to the AWARE Prize, an audio guide, titled (Un)seen Scene, will be narrated by Morineau featuring solo exhibitions of works by female artists at the 2020 fair. In addition to the artists up for the award, (Un)seen Scene will highlight the works of the following female artists also to exhibit at the fair:
Irma Blank with P420
Fei Cui with Chambers Fine Art
Olga de Amaral with Richard Saltoun Gallery
Florine Demosthene with Mariane Ibrahim Gallery
Claire Falkenstein with Michel Rosenfeld Gallery
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian with Haines Gallery
Simone Fattal with kaufmann repetto
Nona Faustine Simmons with Two Palms
Noémie Goudal with Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
Susan Hefuna with Anne Mosseri-Marlio
Martha Jungwirth with Galerie Krinzinger
Mary Kelly with Pippy Houldsworth Gallery
Alicja Kwade with 303 Gallery
Bice Lazzari with Richard Saltoun Gallery
Ana Mendieta with Alison Jacques Gallery
Mariko Mori with Sean Kelly
Zanele Muholi with Yancey Richardson Gallery
Betye Saar with Roberts Projects
Mai-Thu Perret with Simon Lee Gallery
Su-Mei Tse with Peter Blum Gallery
Hannah Wilke with Ronald Feldman Gallery
‘The women artists we have selected for (Un)seen Scene are united in their exploration of the concept of perception, or more importantly by what is not observable, what lies underneath the surface of things,’ said Morineau in a statement. ‘It seems interesting, since we are ourselves in an endeavor of visibility, to focus on practices whose goal is to reveal what’s hidden to the eye or to the mind.’
The Armory Show will run from March 5th through March 8th at New York City’s Piers 90 and 94, 711 12th Avenue at West 50th and 54th Streets.
