25 Artists Nominated for the 2017 Sobey Art Award Competition - $100,000 in prize money will be awarded to young Canadian artists

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OTTAWA, April 19, 2017 /CNW/ - The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada today announced the long list of nominees for Canada's prestigious contemporary art prize, the 2017 Sobey Art Award.

The Sobey Art Award is presented annually to a Canadian artist aged 40 and under who has exhibited in a public or commercial art gallery within 18 months of being nominated. Since it launched in 2001, the pre-eminent contemporary art award has continued to have a renowned impact in supporting the Canadian visual arts scene. The jury panel for the 2017 Sobey Art Award shared the names of the 25 artists vying for the top prize worth $50,000. They are:

ATLANTIC
Eleanor King
Graeme Patterson
Lisa Lipton
Melanie Colosimo
Ursula Johnson

QUÉBEC
Annie Baillargeon
Dan Brault
Jacynthe Carrier
Kim Waldron
Ludovic Boney

ONTARIO
Bridget Moser
Erika DeFreitas
Jean-Paul Kelly
Nadia Belerique
Sameer Farooq

PRAIRIES & THE NORTH
Amy Malbeuf
Divya Mehra
Erica Eyres
Kara Uzelman
The Ephemerals

WEST COAST & YUKON
Babak Golkar 
James Nizam
Jeneen Frei Njootli
Raymond Boisjoly
Rebecca Brewer

The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada congratulate each nominated artist for making the 2017 Sobey Art Award longlist.

The 2017 curatorial panel, chaired by the Gallery's Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Josée Drouin-Brisebois, is composed of one distinguished representative from each of Canada's five regions, as well as one international juror; they are: Sarah Fillmore, Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Atlantic); Claude Bélanger, General and Artistic Director, Manif d'art de Québec (Quebec); Sarah Robayo Sheridan, Curator of the Art Museum at the University of Toronto (Ontario); Jenifer Papararo, Executive Director at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art (Prairies and the North); Reid Shier, Director and Curator of the Presentation House Gallery (West Coast and Yukon);  and Adam Budak, Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic.

"In its 15th year, the Sobey Art Award continues to play a vital role in supporting both emerging and established Canadian artists, celebrating the variety of the Canadian visual arts scenes and showcasing talent from the country", said NGC's Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Josée Drouin-Brisebois. "Working closely with prominent curators from both Canada and abroad, the Sobey Art Award curatorial panel offers a unique and wonderful opportunity to deepen the conversation on how we continue to recognise and connect with artists from across Canada."

The five finalists making up the shortlist for the 2017 Sobey Art Award will be announced on June 6, comprising of one artist from each region of Canada. The selected short-listed artists will exhibit their work at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto from October 24 to December 9, 2017.

The winner of the 2017 Sobey Art Award will be announced during a gala event October 25, 2017 at the Hart House Great Hall at the University of Toronto.  

The Award will distribute a total of $100,000, including $50,000 to the winner, and $10,000 to each of the other short-listed artists.

About the Sobey Art Award: The Sobey Art Award

About the Sobey Foundation: The Sobey Art Foundation

About the National Gallery of Canada: gallery.ca

SOURCE National Gallery of Canada

For further information: For all media enquiries, please contact: Josée-Britanie Mallet, Senior Media and Public, Relations Officer, National Gallery of Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Bernard Doucet, Sobey Art Foundation, [phone], ext. 2301, [phone], [email protected]