Reiffers Art Initiatives, the platform supporting the young contemporary art generation, is proud to announce the launch of the third edition of its prestigious art prize, accompanied by a new mentor dedicated to promoting this promising mentoring program.
Following Rashid Johnson in 2021, Kehinde Wiley in 2022 and Lorna Simpson in 2023, renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone has been chosen as mentor for the 2024 edition of the Reiffers Art Initiatives Prize. He will offer his expertise and support to the 3rd prize winner, selected from the artists shortlisted by the artistic committee, to take part in the joint Reiffers Art Initiatives Prize 2024 exhibition. Dive into the Foundation’s exciting calendar for the new year 2024!
April 2024: exhibition of the 5 artists competing for the Reiffers Art Initiatives Prize
Reiffers Art Initiatives is delighted to unveil the five artists selected by its artistic committee for the third edition of its prize, supporting young French artists and cultural diversity. Aïcha Snoussi, Alex Ayed, Clédia Fourniau, Garance Früh and Majd Abdel Hamid, emerging talents on the contemporary scene, will have the opportunity to take part in this enriching program of contemporary art.
Curated by Vittoria Matarrese, former artistic director of Villa Medici in Rome and former curator at the Tokyo Palace in Paris, now director of the Fondation Bally in Switzerland, the exhibition will bring together the creations of these emerging artists at the Acacias Art Center, from April 26 to June 13, 2024.
The winner of the Prize Reiffers Art Initiatives 2024, who will be mentored by Ugo Rondinone and hold a joint exhibition with this specialist of the contemporary art scene in October during Paris+ by Art Basel, will be announced at the end of the exhibition in June.
Aïcha Snoussi
With a singular artistic approach, Aïcha Snoussi explores rooted narratives, the influence of knowledge and power dynamics on history, from a queer perspective. She sees drawing as a form of expression that moves forward by investing existing spaces, combining archival installations, sculptures, objects and organic materials carefully assembled and engraved.
Born in Tunis in 1989, Aïcha Snoussi lives and works between Sète and Tunis. A graduate of the Institut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts in Tunis and the Sorbonne University in Paris, she places drawing at the heart of her artistic practice. Her work questions the link between drawing, the object, history, memory, ruins, vestiges, gender norms and forms of resistance.
Aïcha Snoussi has held several exhibitions, including a series of presentations as part of the Underwater تحت الما project, for which she won first prize from the Fondation Rambourg. Her works were shown at Mo.Co in 2021, Fondation Zinsou in 2021, Tokyo Palace, La La Lande Gallery in 2022 and at the Lattara archaeological site in 2022.
Alex Ayed
As a traveling artist, Alex Ayed is inspired by his uncertain travels in the desert and on the oceans, offering a counterpoint to today’s hyper-connected societies. Born in France in 1989, he works between Paris and Tunis, and is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
Alex Ayed’s creations include installations, paintings, drawings and assemblages of words and objects collected during his travels. In 2023, he embarked on a 14-meter-long boat, transformed into his studio at sea, exploring the world’s oceans. His work was exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2023, the Balice Herting Gallery in 2023, the New Museum Triennial in 2021 and the Renaissance Society in Chicago in 2021.
Clédia Fourniau
Clédia Fourniau, a French artist born in 1992, graduated with honors from the Beaux-Arts de Paris in October 2021. Her work on shapes and materials in her abstract paintings is characterized by an overflow and superimposition of relevant gestures. Using dyes, inks and polyurethane resins, she creates high-gloss colored embossments on her canvases, reflecting the body, the studio and architecture.
Clédia Fourniau’s works offer an elusive perspective and convey an erotic, almost mystical turmoil. Placing the processual and performative dimension of abstract painting at the heart of her artistic practice, she questions the conditions of perception and reception of the image, fully engaging the body of both artist and viewer in a complex immersive process.
Garance Früh
In a process of artistic reconstruction, Garance Früh deconstructs her works to reassemble them in the form of ceramic casts. This approach enables her to engage in a conversation with the materials she uses, notably skin-toned textiles and sportswear materials.
By combining objects from the worlds of sport and medicine, such as prostheses, helmets and waders, Garance Früh explores notions of ergonomics, protection and attention to the most fragile parts of the body. Through her composite creations, the French artist questions the gender perspective and the perception of the female and infant body, often associated with vulnerability and delicacy, while calling for their emancipation.
Majd Abdel Hamid
Born in Syria in 1988, Majd Abdel Hamid lives and works between Beirut and Paris. Trained at the International Academy of Palestine (IAAP) from 2007 to 2009 and at the Malmö Art Academy in Sweden in 2010, he is recognized as a multidisciplinary artist exploring sculpture, video, installation and drawing to analyze notions of national identity and trauma.
Anchoring his artistic process in repetition, slowness and performance, Majd Abdel Hamid integrates embroidery and cross-stitch on fabric supports, offering a counterpoint to the rapid production of digital images. He has taken part in numerous residencies and workshops around the world, exhibiting his work notably at Paris+ by Art Basel through the GB Agency gallery in 2023, at the Hirafen exhibition in Tunis in 2023, at the CCA in Glasgow and at the Sharjah Art Museum in 2022.
October 2024: Ugo Rondinone at the Acacias Art Center for the exhibition Reiffers Art Initiatives
Each year, Reiffers Art Initiatives selects a leading figure from the global art scene to act as mentor to an emerging artist. The mentor’s task is to choose the winner of the mentoring program from among the emerging artists selected by the artistic committee, and this collaboration culminates in an exhibition at Paris+ by Art Basel.
For the 2024 edition, Ugo Rondinone will take on the role of mentor within Reiffers Art Initiatives, accompanying an emerging artist from the French scene. Their joint exhibition will be held in October at the Acacias Art Center in Paris.
A renowned multidisciplinary artist, Ugo Rondinone is an emblematic figure in contemporary art, having been exhibited in the world’s greatest museums such as MoMA PS1, the Centre Pompidou, the Whitechapel Gallery and the Versailles Palace. In addition to his artistic work, he is also a poet, collector and curator.
This mentoring program offers a unique opportunity for the winner of the Reiffers Art Initiatives 2024 Prize to shine alongside this key player in contemporary art, and to establish himself with ease in the highly select world of contemporary art.
New member of the Reiffers Art Initiatives artistic committee !
To round off the upcoming events at Reiffers Art Initiatives, the platform for the promotion of contemporary art is pleased to announce the addition of a new member to its artistic committee. The new member is Chris Dercon, a leading figure in the world of art and culture.
An internationally renowned art historian, curator and museum director, Chris Dercon has held such prestigious positions as Program Director of PS1 in New York, Director of Tate Modern in London, Director of the Volksbühne Theater in Berlin and President of the Reunion of National Museums and the Grand Palace.
Since June 2023, Chris Dercon has been General Director of the Fondation Cartier for Contemporary Art . His presence will strengthen the influence of the Reiffers Art Initiatives artistic committee and support the foundation’s mission to promote young, emerging talent.
