ellipse prize
The ellipse Prize is an art competition established by ellipse art projects to highlight artistic creation on French territory focussing on a different country or culture in each edition.
The goal of this project is to support collective awareness about the surrounding environment using messages conveyed by artists.
Art is fundamental to deal with essential subjects. Improving access to culture for as many as possible is a means of sensibility and innovation awakening.
The ellipse Prize wants to help artists mobility to share their work and to upgrade their creative thinking with meetings with other like-minded creators from different cultures. It is crucial to support them in a more globalised world where economic and social disparities are growing.
Across this program, ellipse art projects is committed to facilitate an artist to gain access to international networks through an artistic residency and an exhibition in France every year.
ellipse art projects has decided to concentrate the First Edition for African artists based in Senegal.
Ibrahima Ndome from the collective Atelier Ndokette is the winner of this edition.
Khadim Gueye, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, Khalifa Ndiaye and Ismaël Mahamadou are the four other shortlisted artists of the ellipse 2021 Prize.
The applications call is open to :
- every African artists based in Senegal
- aged between 18 and 35 at application closing date (29th May 2021)
- whose practice is dedicated to visual arts
- not represented by a gallery but can have realised collaborations previously
To apply, candidates must fill in the application form made up of :
- an administrative part : general informations
- an artistic part : portfolio, with no thematic requirement, and research task for the artistic residency inspired by the theme of Futurology
Selection in two stages by an international, professional jury :
- first stage : selection of five artists
- second stage : selected artists advocate for their project through videoconferencing and the announcement of the winner
Portfolios and research works are reviewed strictly according to the achievement, quality of the work, the theme of the work and the work’s innovative nature.
See the competition rules below for more informations
The winner benefits from :
- a three months artistic residency at la Cité internationale des arts in Paris, including a live-in studio place made up of a furnished living and working space (work space, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, wifi internet connection)
This program is made up of :
- a round trip ticket from Dakar to Paris (including VISA and travel insurance)
- a 800 euros grant per month living expenses
- a production grant, according to the residency project
- a professional and artistic support
- a presentation of them and their work during the AKAA (Also Known As Africa) international contemporary art fair in Paris
- a media campaign to support every step of the competition giving high visibility to candidates
- Applications call 2021 extended – from April the 1st to May the 29th 2021 (before midnight, 11:59 pm)
- First jury meeting : five artists short-listed/selected – beginning of June 2021
- Second jury meeting : selected artists advocate for their project through videoconferencing – mid-June 2021
- Announcement of the winner – mid-June
- Artistic residency – from October the 4th to December the 27th 2021
- Exhibition of the artists’ work – November 2021
*Dates will be susceptible to change depending on Covid sanitary crisis and to general measures announced by the French government that may affect travel arrangements.
- Wagane Gueye – exhibition curator, cultural mediator and director of the I.A.C.
Very involved in the cultural and associative sector, he pilots and collaborates in several cultural exchange and mediation projects in France and Senegal. He is the president of the association of cultural exchanges “Les Atelier du Vau” and created the I.A.C. (Artistic and Cultural Initiatives) in Dakar, which organizes cultural events, very close to the young generation of Senegalese visual artists. He is also the scriptwriter and co-producer of the documentary film “Aaru Mbeed, les murs de Dakar” selected at the Toronto International Film Festival and at the Dak’Art Biennale in 2012.
- Ken Aïcha Sy – founding director of the cultural platform Wakh’Art
Sensitive to the creative environment and the cause of Senegalese artists, she found the cultural platform “Wakh’Art” to enhance the Senegalese cultural offer, and “La Boite à Idée”, a meeting place for artists. She also conceived, with the artist Moulaye, the music label Wakh’Art Music, to support the artists of the Senegalese music scene.
- Bénédicte Alliot – director of the Cité internationale des arts in Paris
Bénédicte Alliot is the Director of the Cité internationale des arts since 2016, a residency center that hosts 325 artists from all disciplines and over 100 countries located in the center of Paris, in the Marais and Montmartre districts. She was director of the French Institute of South Africa in Johannesburg (2002-2006), then cultural attaché at the French Embassy in New Delhi, India (2006-2010) and directed the Cultural Seasons division at the French Institute in Paris.
- Delphine Lopez – director of the Cécile Fakhoury gallery in Dakar
Delphine Lopez is an art historian and curator. She participates in the conception of several exhibition projects and develops activities as an art critic by collaborating in the publication of exhibition catalogs and texts, such as Masquerade (Cécile Fakhoury Gallery, 2019), or Clin d’Oeil à Cheikh Anta Diop, Omar Ba (2021 to be published). She also founded and edited the blog The Wo/andering Mind dedicated to contemporary creation from 2016 to 2018. She currently is the Director of the Cécile Fakhoury gallery in Dakar, Senegal.
- Victoria Mann – founding director of the AKAA fair
Victoria Mann is a Franco-American cultural entrepreneur, founder and director of AKAA – Also Known As Africa, a contemporary art and design fair. Passionate about Africa and contemporary art, she quickly realized the importance to develop the emerging market in Paris and then created the first commercial and cultural platform for contemporary art from Africa in France. Its ambition is to contribute to the sustainability of the market.
- Malick Ndiaye – curator, researcher, teacher and artistic director of the Dakar Biennale in 2020
El Hadji Malick Ndiaye is currently a researcher at IFAN / Cheikh Anta Diop and curator of the Musée Théodore Monod d’art africain. He teaches Art History, Museums and Cultural Heritage and collaborates with several journals, participates in various international scientific research groups and is involved in a number of museological projects. His publications focus on modern/contemporary art and global history, cultural policies and African museum institutions. He was a member of the Orientation Committee of the 2018 edition of the Dakar Biennale, and directed the Encounters and Exchanges Commission. He was also appointed Artistic Director of the Dak’Art Biennale of Contemporary African Art (2020, edition postponed).