Access corporation set to connect the world as ART X Prize 2022 holds

….Opens Door For Diaspora Participation

Africa’s premier art fair, Access ART X Prize, makes a return for the 2022/2023 edition, with a call for talented artists to send in their entries. This year’s edition of the art fair will witness, for the first time, the participation of African artists resident in Nigeria, Africa, and the diaspora.

With the application deadline set for November 6, 2022, Access ART X Prize 2022/2023 is open to African artists resident at home and those in the diaspora, who must have been practising for three years or more.

Set to be judged by a panel of esteemed jury selected across the globe, this year’s edition of the Access ART X Prize returns with a significantly expanded scope that provides early-career artists from Africa and the diaspora with opportunities to develop their craft and sets them up for the highest levels of success on the global stage.

Explaining the importance of the additional award, the Chief Communications Officer of Access Corporation, Amaechi Okobi, said, “Access Corporation is leading the charge in connecting Africans around the globe by leveraging a critical sector like art. We have a responsibility to correct negative narratives that are associated with the continent and using platforms like this to highlight and promote talents from this part of the world is a step in the right direction. This year’s edition also sees an expansion of the project to the artists in the diaspora, creating an avenue for inclusion and ensuring long term careers for a wider range of artists. So, we are stopping at nothing to create a globally connected community and ecosystem.”

The top 10 finalists of the art fair will be announced on November 16 while the finalists will be presented to the Jury on November 24, 2022.

Also, one artist will be selected from Nigeria, to undergo a residency at Gasworks London, United Kingdom, while another from Africa and the diaspora will be selected for a residency at Yinka Shonibare’s G.A.S Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria. They will be supported with grants of $10,000 for their exhibition.

Access ART X Prize 2022/2023 will be a hybrid event. The fair will hold from November 4th to November 6th, 2022, as a physical event at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island while a showcase will be available online at artxlagos.com and Artsy from November 4th to the 21st.

The Access ART X Prize 2022/2023 is an initiative of Access Corporation, the parent company of one of Africa’s financial services giants, Access Bank. The organisation, whose 20-year journey is transforming the African financial services sector, aims to connect the world meaningfully through art. This the institution has done since the inception of the Access ART X Prize in 2016.

Also commenting, the Head of Marketing Communications, Chioma Afe, said: “Access Bank has demonstrated over the past seven years that it supports art and the highly talented individuals whose lovely works have been the heartbeat of the industry. And if you think that you’ve seen enough from Access Bank, this is just the beginning.”

Interested artists should prepare and upload their bio in a PDF providing a summary of their life, career and practice leading up to the present moment. They are to include their educational background (formal or self-taught), recent exhibitions or career highlights, relevant biographical information (where they grew up, where they create their work), and an overview of their artistic practice.

They are also expected to provide information on their interests and portfolio as well as the concepts, materials, or questions which guide their working process, while also providing details of two references – full name, position/title, email address and phone number. The length of the bio should not exceed three pages.

Portfolio
Participating artists are expected to submit a PDF or zipped folder of not more than 200MB containing a selection of 10 works (images, video links, etc.) and a numbered list of the corresponding works. This list must include the Title, Date, Media, Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth, if applicable) or Duration of each work.

The complete caption information should read as follows: First Name, Last Name, Title, and Year. For example, Femi Ogunji, Starlight, 2022.

Motivation Letter
Artists should also upload a PDF with a statement on how, as a Nigerian or African/Diasporan participant, they will maximise either the Gasworks London, United Kingdom, or the Yinka Shonibare GAS Foundation, Nigeria, residency opportunity respectively, if selected.

They should include a summary of their connection to Africa (descent, heritage, lineage, others, etc). The length of the Motivation Letter should be a maximum of 300 words.

Qualified artists can, therefore, register for the Access Art X Lagos 2022/2023 HERE: https://artxlagos.com/apply