AwardsSeptember 20, 2019
Eugenio Mendoza Prize #15
Following an open call for submissions, the most recent work of twelve young Venezuelan artists was on exhibit at Sala Mendoza, in the 15th edition of the Eugenio Mendoza Prize. This Salon is an important point of reference for contemporary art in Venezuela today, as it is one of only a handful devoted to emerging proposals. Six local and international curators were invited to select two proposals each, thus completing the final roster of twelve. In this way, David Ayala-Alfonso chose Emily Jolie and Néstor García; Jesús Alcaide chose Alejandro Miguel Torrealba and Cristian Guardia; María Carlota Pérez-Appelbaum chose Manuel Eduardo González and Valentina Alvarado Matos; Patricia Hambrona chose Dianora Pérez and Rafael Arteaga; Rigel García chose María Niño and Max Provenzano; and Yuri Liscano chose Malu Valerio and Saúl Rivas. Participating in this rigorous and demanding event is an important platform for these young artists’ artistic and personal projection.
A separate Prize jury, also comprised of notable figures from the local and region-wide cultural scene, was charged with selecting the winners. The jurors were graphic designer Álvaro Sotillo, artist Dulce Gómez, curator and researcher Rafael Romero, and Peruvian curator Geaninne Gutiérrez-Guimarães. They awarded the Eugenio Mendoza Prize to Malu Valerio, an artist who has been carving a space for herself with her painstakingly manufactured textile works, with embroideries that transcribe and allude to such weighty issues as violence against women. The Prize consists in an artist’s residence in Lugar a Dudas, in Cali, Colombia, where Valerio will continue her investigation leading to a solo exhibition at Sala Mendoza in 2020.
The jury also awarded two honorary mentions: the Emerging Artist mention—sponsored by the Embassy of Spain in Venezuela—went to Dianora Pérez, and the “Carmen Cordovez Crespo" to Cristian Guardia. The former consists of a residency at Hangar, in Barcelona, while the latter was a cash award.
Esmelyn Miranda, First Prize winner in the previous edition, and Manuela Armand, winner of the Inter-American Development Bank Acquisition Prize, were invited to exhibit alongside the artists mentioned above.
A separate Prize jury, also comprised of notable figures from the local and region-wide cultural scene, was charged with selecting the winners. The jurors were graphic designer Álvaro Sotillo, artist Dulce Gómez, curator and researcher Rafael Romero, and Peruvian curator Geaninne Gutiérrez-Guimarães. They awarded the Eugenio Mendoza Prize to Malu Valerio, an artist who has been carving a space for herself with her painstakingly manufactured textile works, with embroideries that transcribe and allude to such weighty issues as violence against women. The Prize consists in an artist’s residence in Lugar a Dudas, in Cali, Colombia, where Valerio will continue her investigation leading to a solo exhibition at Sala Mendoza in 2020.
The jury also awarded two honorary mentions: the Emerging Artist mention—sponsored by the Embassy of Spain in Venezuela—went to Dianora Pérez, and the “Carmen Cordovez Crespo" to Cristian Guardia. The former consists of a residency at Hangar, in Barcelona, while the latter was a cash award.
Esmelyn Miranda, First Prize winner in the previous edition, and Manuela Armand, winner of the Inter-American Development Bank Acquisition Prize, were invited to exhibit alongside the artists mentioned above.
