Judy Chartrand, Nico Williams among Sobey Art Award finalists

OTTAWA — Cree ceramicist Judy Chartrand and Anishinaabe bead artist Nico Williams are among the six finalists for the Sobey Art Award.

The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada announced on Tuesday the six artists in contention for the $100,000 prize for contemporary visual art.

Chartrand, who is based in Vancouver, is known for ceramics and installations that use repurposed materials to skewer ignorance and poke fun at privilege.

Williams, a member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation who lives and works in Montreal, is being recognized for a body of work that is centred around sculptural beadwork.

Also among the finalists are multidisciplinary artist and curator Taqralik Partridge, who is originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik and now lives in Ottawa, and multimedia artist Rhayne Vermette, who is from Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Man.

Rounding out the short list are Toronto’s June Clark, who works with photography, sculpture and collage, and New Brunswick-based multimedia artist Mathieu Léger.

The winner will be announced at an event on Nov. 9, and the six shortlisted artists will have their work on display at the national gallery from October through March.

The Sobey Art Award was created in 2002 with funding from the Sobey Art Foundation and has been jointly administered by the foundation and National Gallery of Canada since 2016.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press